The Glasswing Butterfly
by writehavoc
Summary: Chuck has never thought of herself as anything special. Just an average beta living her life next door to a womanizing alpha named Negan. But her life, and Negan's too, are turned upside down when Chuck suddenly presents as omega. (Non-Zombie AU) (ABO Dynamics) (Negan/Original Female Character) (Status: Ongoing) (Contains: swearing, smut) (Intended for adults only)
1. Part 1

Chuck rakes her hands through her strawberry bond hair and growls at the computer screen on her desk in her apartment. "Why aren't you working!? What did I mess up?" she grumbles. The code she had just input is not working the way she expected. She's still ahead on what she was supposed to get done for the day, but she it's still frustrating to have to search through code to find your mistake.

Chuck had started to work for Ad Astra Software in Charlottesville, Virginia about four years ago, right after she graduated from college. After about a year working there, she was allowed the opportunity to work from home, which Chuck accepted happily. Being naturally shy and introverted, she finds it difficult to work around other people. Being at home, alone in her space allows her to work much faster and better than if she had to deal with a bunch of people around her. Now, she only has to go in to the office about once a month to check in.

After her graduation is also when she moved to her current home. The one bedroom apartment is just perfect for her. The open plan living area contains a small kitchen and has enough room for Chuck's couch, tv, computer desk, and a small dining room table. The bedroom isn't exactly spacious, but it has a small closet and an en-suite bathroom that is actually fairly big. It's in a pretty good neighborhood, too, which her mother especially likes.

Chuck's cell phone rings and she turns it over to see, though she already knows who it is. Her mom's picture and the name "Diane Langdon" shine on the screen. Chuck accepts the call and stands from her chair to start pacing around her apartment. She could never sit still and talk on the phone at the same time.

"Hi, Mom," she answers.

Her mom's cheery voice rings through the speaker. " _Hey, sweetie. Whatcha doing?_ "

"Working. What are you doing?"

Diane takes a bite of her sandwich and answers without swallowing. " _I'm taking a break. Eating my lunch._ "

Diane works as a nurse at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, so she doesn't always get time to talk to her daughter from work. But she tries to talk to Chuck at least once a day, no matter what.

Chuck suddenly yawns into the phone. Not because she's bored with her mother, but because she didn't get much sleep last night. "Ugh," she groans and rubs at the crick in her neck. "I need to get a more comfortable couch since I end up sleeping on it so much."

" _What's wrong with your bed?_ "

Chuck lets out a huff. "You know why, Mom. _Negan_ ," Chuck emphasizes.

Negan is Chuck's next door neighbor. And they happen to share a wall between their bedrooms. It didn't take Chuck too many nights to figure out that that wall isn't exactly sound proof. And that Negan is somewhat of a womanizer, bringing home a different girl a few times a week and "entertaining" her. Which always ends up with Chuck hearing moans and screams and Negan's headboard slamming up against the wall.

" _Oh. That's right_ ," Diane answers with a little chuckle. " _Your alpha neighbor._ "

"Yeah. He's like the worst alpha ever."

" _I don't know if that's true, Chuck. He's not killing people, is he?_ " she jokes.

"I guess not," Chuck concedes. "But he's so arrogant! Like way more arrogant than any other alpha I've met."

Diane chuckles into the phone. " _You know alphas love showing off for us betas._ "

It was no surprise that Chuck didn't present as omega in her early teens, though her demeanor is very omega-like. Both Chuck's parents are beta. Or _was_ beta, in the case of Chuck's father. He had passed away when Chuck was eight years old from a car accident. He was struck by a drunk driver going the wrong way on the highway and died almost instantly.

Omegas in general are pretty rare, comprising about 5% of the world's population. And they almost always come from alpha/omega pairings. But omegas being born from beta parents has been documented, so it's not _entirely_ impossible.

And Chuck has no way of knowing that she is actually part of that 5%. Yet.

Chuck lets out a huff as she thinks about what a douche Negan is. "Well... Remember when I first moved here and I left a note on his door informing him that I could hear his... uh..." Chuck isn't sure how to describe it to her mother, " _night activities_ ," she settles on. "And because I'm a _nice_ person, I thought he should know so he didn't get embarrassed about it. Then the next day, he left me a note saying 'Enjoy the show'! Like, who does that?!"

Diane laughs. " _Oh, yeah. I forgot he did that._ "

"Yeah! He could've at least moved his bed from our shared wall like I did. But, no. He kept it there. And I swear he got louder after that."

" _Well, I'm not surprised he has a steady stream of women to entertain. He's very handsome._ "

Chuck groans. "Yeah, yeah. I know, Mom. You think he's so hot."

Chuck knows that Negan is a good looking man. He's tall, like most alphas, but he's not as bulky as some are. He's more... _lithe_ , if Chuck would have to put a word to it. His dark hair always seems to be slicked back perfectly and his beard, of course, has just the right amount of gray.

" _Well..._ " Diane giggles. " _He's nice to look at._ "

"I guess. But he's horrible to live next to. No amount of dimples makes up for that."

Diane laughs hard. She had told her daughter more than once about how much she liked Negan's pronounced dimples. " _I suppose, sweetie. You know alphas can't help but be assholes. Especially the handsome ones._ "

"It's annoying."

Diane's pager beeps. " _Shit._ " She leans down to look at the device on her hip. " _I gotta get back to work. I'll talk to you later._ "

"Ok, Mom."

" _Love you._ "

"Love you, too. Bye."

Chuck sets her phone back down and goes back to her work, finding her mistake and fixing it accordingly. Once she has everything else done, she decides to actually look for new couch online. The couch in her living room that has been doubling as her bed a few nights a week is a few years old and was pretty much the cheapest option available when she moved in and needed furniture. She researches various models and sellers and finally places an order for one she thinks will suit her needs.

While she's at it, she also stocks up on some other things she needs. Her mother always tells her that it's weird that she buys groceries and the like online, but Chuck would rather do it this way. Being in crowded stores is not Chuck's idea of a good time.

So, yeah, she's a bit of a homebody.

Chuck had never been a social butterfly. And throughout her childhood and schooling, she had never really had any friends. No close ones, anyway. Her shyness made it hard for her to put herself out there and make friends. And the fact that she always felt like a freak kept her from getting close to anyone that may actually try to be her friend.

When Chuck was sixteen, it was found that she had underdeveloped reproductive organs. Her ovaries were mostly normal, which meant that she still went through puberty, somewhat. She had filled out and grew body hair, at least. But her uterus and vagina hadn't matured properly, which meant that she would never get a period or be able to have a child. Even having sex would be extremely difficult.

Chuck's doctors don't realize that her underdeveloped organs are pretty typical of a very rare syndrome afflicting omegas. So Chuck has no way of knowing that, either.

He condition is something that Chuck could easily hide from most people. But she would ultimately have to tell any man that may be interested in her that she could never have sex or give him children. So she simply never pursued anything romantic. She kept to herself, never going to parties or even really socializing in any meaningful way.

Yes, it's a lonely existence. But the alternative seems so much worse to Chuck. She always had nightmare scenarios of telling fantasy boyfriends that she wasn't normal. They would laugh at her. Call her a freak. Tell her that she wasn't worth it. That she should just go away and disappear.

So she did just that, herself, before anyone could tell her. She was essentially a ghost in her own life, never making an impact or impression on anyone.

That night, Chuck decides to get some laundry done. She usually goes at night because the machines in the basement always seem to be in use during the day, which seems pretty normal for people keeping a regular schedule. But Chuck is somewhat of a night owl, actually. She loves the fact that she can sleep in because she can set her own hours at work. And she's happy that her lost sleep during the night because of her neighbor doesn't necessarily lead to her having horrible mornings. If she had a normal 9 to 5, she would go completely crazy.

Chuck doesn't know how Negan does it. She knows that Negan _does_ have a 9 to 5, yet he still takes out several hours a few nights a week to have sex with random women. He must take naps.

Chuck gathers up her hamper and takes the elevator down to the basement. When she gets to the laundry room, though, she stops dead in her tracks. Negan is in there with a beta woman that Chuck recognizes as another tenant. And she's sitting on one of the machines with Negan standing between her spread legs. Their mouths are all over each other, making lewd noises. And Negan's hand is conspicuously in between their bodies.

Chuck instantly turns around an leaves, fully disgusted at the sight. But as she reenters her apartment, that disgust turns into something else. She's hurt. Not in the way you might think. She's not jealous of the woman because Negan is all over her rather than herself. No, she's more _envious_. Of _both_ of them. Envious of the fact that Negan is naturally good looking and charming enough that it's so easy for him to get women. Envious of the woman that she's beautiful and sexy enough to get a man like Negan's attention. Envious that they can easily have what Chuck can't. She knows that they aren't in a relationship, because she's pretty sure Negan doesn't do relationships, but they still could have that kind of intimacy with another person. The kind of intimacy that Chuck would never have.

Chuck breaks down once she gets to her bedroom. All of her self hatred seems to consume her all at once. Her body is wracked with sobs and she cries into her pillow heavily. This isn't a normal occurrence. Yes, she cried at times. Yes, she was sad. Depressed, even. But this all consuming emotion is new to Chuck. It's part of an escalation.

She had found herself being frustrated more often, having a shorter fuse. And she was more restless. But she kept it all from her mother, not knowing how to really explain what she's going through.

When Chuck wakes up the next morning, her whole body hurts and she has a hard time even getting out of bed. But, again, she doesn't tell her mother when she calls her. She says that everything is fine. And her mom believes her.

But Chuck doesn't realize that some of the pain she is feeling isn't just because of her panic attack last night. Her body is changing and she doesn't even know it.

Chuck's monthly day at the office comes and she readies herself for it. They were pretty laid back there, so she just dresses casually. Though the first T-shirt she pulls out ends up being too tight around her chest. She hadn't really seen her weight go up too much on the scale, but her clothes seemed to be fitting her differently. Her diet hadn't changed, but she thinks that maybe it's just her metabolism changing with age. What she doesn't really see though, is that all the changes are to her chest and hips, making her curvier than what she was before. Giving her a more classic omega physique.

When Chuck gets back to her building, she ends up walking behind Negan. He enters the elevator before her and holds the door so it doesn't close. Chuck is actually a bit surprised at the polite gesture, figuring that Negan wasn't capable of being chivalrous. But that good will fades when he looks back at her after he pushes the button for the fifth floor.

"What floor, sweetheart?" he asks.

Chuck hesitates to answer.

 _He doesn't even know that I'm his next door neighbor. I've been living beside him for four years and he doesn't even recognize me_ , she thinks.

"Uh... three," she answers without really thinking.

He pushes the button then pulls out his phone to answer some texts, completely unaware how his simple question has affected the girl beside him. Chuck tries not to let it get to her. She tries to focus on anything but the dark feeling that's bubbling up in her chest once again. What's the song playing in the elevator? What's she going to eat when she gets home? What cologne is Negan wearing? It smells good.

When the door opens on the third floor, Chuck exits and starts to walk down the hall, pretending to head to her nonexistent apartment. When she hears the elevator doors close again, she turns back around and enters the stairwell.

Yeah, it was a little stupid not to just tell Negan that she was headed to the same floor he was, but she was too embarrassed.

 _How could he_ _ **not**_ _know that I'm his neighbor?_ she thinks. _How am I_ _ **that**_ _unmemorable? What is wrong with me?_

Chuck checks the hall on her actual floor to make sure Negan is in his apartment before she exits the stairwell. With the coast clear, she walks through the hallway and enters her apartment, throwing her keys and bag on the counter beside the door. Once she gets inside, she lets out a heavy breath, that same self hatred bubbling up in her again.

"Great," she mutters to herself when she feels her eyes well up with tears. "Just great."

The rest of the day is rough for Chuck. She tries to keep her mind occupied with anything, really. Tv, video games, a book, but that lonely, dark feeling is ever present.

About a minute after Chuck gets into bed for the night, she starts to hear Negan and his current lady friend next door.

She lets out a huff. "Really?!" She turns over on her side and pulls the pillow over her head to try to stifle the sounds. But with every minute that ticks by that Chuck can't block out the noises, her anger rises. Eventually, she can't take it anymore and whips her covers off of her, jumping out of the bed. She stomps out to the living room and unplugs her Bluetooth stereo, carrying it back into her room to set it up on her desk, facing Negan's apartment.

Chuck picks up her phone from her nightstand and opens Spotify, intent on creating the world's _least_ sexy playlist. The Mickey Mouse Club theme song, Cat's in the Cradle, Tiptoe Through the Tulips, How much is that Doggy in the Window, and some random songs from the Christian rock channel soon blast out of Chuck's speakers.

Yeah, it's petty. And it's certainly not a thing that Chuck would normally do, but she just couldn't take it anymore.

The next morning, Chuck is woken up by a pounding on her front door. After she gets over the initial shock of being rudely awoken, she remembers everything that went on last night.

"Oh, god," she whispers when she realizes who is probably at the door. "Oh, no no no." She scrambles off the couch and searches for something to put on, because she's certainly not answering the door in just her tank top and sleep shorts. Just as she finds her hoodie and pulls it over her head, there is more pounding at the door.

"Jeez," she mutters and unlocks the door, pulling it open slightly.

The exact person she thought is standing before her, looking angry to boot. But his expression changes to confusion pretty quick.

When Negan had decided to his confront his neighbor, he realized that he actually didn't know who it was. C. Langdon is the name on the mailbox beside his, but for the life of him, he can't picture the person. They must be a shut in, because he never sees them coming or going. Probably on welfare or disability or something. But what he sees when the door opens completely confuses him.

Negan stares at the girl a moment before speaking. "You got parents?" he asks. The girl doesn't look like she's out of her teens to him. But he thought all the tenants with families lived on the first two floors.

Chuck scrunches up her face. "Of course I have parents," she bites back with uncharacteristic attitude. She was never one to talk back, but she's finding it increasingly hard to control herself.

He lets out a huff. "Don't be a smartass, kid." He's used to dealing with teenagers from when he used to be a gym coach years ago. And right now, he's thinking that he doesn't miss it one bit. "Is your mom or dad here?"

Chuck is confused for a moment until she realizes that Negan thinks she's a teenager. It's not exactly new to her; people always think she's young. But for some reason, it annoys her endlessly hearing it from Negan. "I'm twenty five," she barks. "And this is _my_ apartment."

At first, Negan doesn't believe it, because the girl standing before him looks very young. But he knows her apartment is set up exactly like his. It makes more sense that only a single person would live there. And he knows C. Langdon has lived there for a few years. So her being twenty five seems to fit.

None of that matters anyway because Negan suddenly remembers why he knocked on this girl's door. "So, you think that shit you pulled last night was fuckin' funny?"

Chuck knows that she should be ashamed about what she did last night because it was childish and petty, but she's really not. In her eyes, Negan deserved it. And, maybe she should be more cautious about having an angry alpha on her doorstep. Despite that, she doesn't back off. "Actually, I thought it was hilarious."

Negan chuckles darkly. "Well," he leans forward, " _I_ didn't find it fuckin' funny, little girl."

That just rubs Chuck the wrong way. "Don't call me a little girl. I'm an adult," she asserts.

Negan looks down at her and thinks that she couldn't possibly look less like an adult if she tried. So he laughs at her. "Alright, _princess_."

"My name is _Chuck_."

"What the fuck kind of name is that?"

"What kind of name is _Negan_?" she retorts.

He lets out a huff from his flared nostrils. This girl is getting on his nerves. "Listen, princess, that shit you did cost me a night of fucking cuz my date couldn't stand the shit you were playing. So _don't_ fuckin' do it again."

"Maybe keep it down a little and I won't."

A smirk forms on his face. "I can't help it if I give a good dicking."

Chuck scrunches up her face. "You're disgusting."

That's not the first time he's heard that, but for some reason, it bothers him coming from her. So, of course, instead of backing off, he pushes forward. "Maybe you just need a good dicking, yourself. It might help to remove that fuckin' stick you got up your ass."

Chuck is taken aback at that. She's offended and hurt. And it takes the fight right out of her. Without knowing it, Negan had hit a pressure point of hers and it leaves her reeling. The only thing she could do is slam the door in his face. And that's exactly what she does.

Negan pulls his head back at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding being hit on the nose by the swinging door. He's still angry, though. He leans on the door, placing his mouth close to it and calls out, "Oh, little girl. You have no idea the shit storm you just brought down on yourself."


	2. Part 2

The next week is unpleasant for both Chuck and Negan as things escalate between them. The few times that they meet at the elevator, the one inside always makes sure to close the door before the other can enter. And after some of Chuck's clothes go missing from the laundry room, she purposefully stops Negan's clothes in the washer and piles them on the floor sopping wet.

And of course, Negan makes sure to bring a different woman home every single night, even making sure to call the ones he knows are screamers. And every night when Negan would start to go at it with whatever woman he had for the night, Chuck would start to play another one of her unsexy playlists.

Sure, it ends up in lost sleep and frustration for the both of them, but neither one wants to relent as long as the other one is inconvenienced. This is war, after all.

Chuck yawns as she sits at her desk waiting for her new couch to arrive. Her old couch was pretty much just a wooden frame and some loose cushions, so she got rid of it herself fairly easily earlier in the day. But her new couch is a proper one, and will require some delivery guys to get it in her apartment. And they should be arriving any minute now.

Unfortunately for Chuck, Negan happens to run across the men from the furniture store before their job could be done.

Negan had seen Chuck head out to the dumpster with what looked like the remains of a very cheap couch. So when he sees two beta men in coveralls carrying a new couch through the hallway, he puts two and two together and figures out where it's headed.

"Hey, guys," Negan calls out to the men with a wave of his hand. "Chuck told me to tell you guys to just leave the couch out here. She had a fuckin' family emergency and had to run out."

The delivery men halt their motion and set the couch down. "Who's Chuck?" one of them asks as he straightens back up.

 _Shit. 'Chuck' is a nickname. I don't actually know her real fuckin' name_ , Negan thinks.

"My neighbor," he points to Chuck's door, hoping that will be enough to convince the guys. "We all call her Chuck. She told me she was expecting a fuckin' delivery."

One of the guys picks up the delivery slip to look it over. "That's the right apartment number. Charlotte Langdon, apartment 54."

"Charlotte, yeah. That's Chuck." Negan plays it cool but can't hold back a little smirk at how easy it was to deceive the beta men. "She said you can just leave it right here." He points to the wall beside her door.

"You're gonna help her get this inside?" one of the guys asks a little hesitantly. He has a job to do, but questioning an alpha can have unpleasant consequences.

"Of course," Negan lies. "Me and her are thick as fuckin' thieves. We're like family. Don't worry about it."

The delivery men shrug at each other and move the couch to the wall, then turn to leave. Negan watches them go and when he's sure they're gone, he walks up to Chuck's door and knocks.

Chuck is expecting the delivery, so she doesn't even look through the peephole before answering. When she sees that it's Negan standing there instead, she rolls her eyes.

"What do you want?" she hisses.

Negan just smiles back. "Your couch is out here."

Chuck peeks her head out the door and sees the piece of furniture she ordered, but the men that are supposed to get it in her apartment are nowhere to be seen.

"Where are the movers?" she asks.

"Oh," Negan looks off toward the elevator, "I told them you had to leave on a family emergency and that you wanted the couch left in the goddamn hallway while you were out," he responds smugly.

"What?!" she snaps back. "Why would you do that?!"

Negan just turns away with a shrug and walks down the hall toward the elevator. "Have fun with your new couch, princess!" he calls out.

"Gah!" Chuck growls. "You're such a jerk!"

Negan gets to the elevator and gives Chuck a final wave before the doors close as Chuck glares at him. He knows what he did is a little bit of a dick move, but he figures that the girl will call someone in to help her and they'll get the couch in her apartment pretty quickly.

But Negan is unaware that Chuck doesn't have anyone to ask for help. Her mother is busy at work and the only other person she could possibly ask, her uncle Aaron, is working out of the country at the moment.

Chuck takes a deep breath and tries to steel her already frayed nerves.

 _I can do this_ , she thinks. _I can do this by myself. I do everything by myself. This is no different._

After an hour of struggling, she still doesn't have the couch in her apartment. What's worse is that it seems to be stuck in the doorway. But Chuck is trying her hardest not to let the frustration and anger get to her, though she can feel it just under the surface.

She steps back and surveys her options logically. Maybe she could twist it. Or turn it. Maybe she needs to pull it out and try again at a different angle.

"Did ya have some trouble?" the most unwelcome voice rings out from down the hall.

Chuck flips around to see Negan exiting the elevator and sauntering toward her. But she doesn't engage him. If she just ignores him, maybe she can get this done without freaking out.

Negan is making that very difficult though. "You need help, princess?" He chuckles. "I'm not _offering_ , I'm just asking if you do."

Chuck still ignores him and tries to pull at couch to get it unstuck. Despite her best efforts at remaining stoic, tears of frustration start to fall down her cheeks. Not wanting Negan to see her upset, she makes sure to turn her head away from him.

Negan doesn't see her tears, but he actually does start to feel a twinge of guilt as he watches the girl struggling all by herself. He honestly didn't expect her to have this much trouble, but that twinge of guilt isn't enough to stop him, though. He stands back and leans on the wall by his door, looking completely casual with his arms crossed in front of him. "You're doing a _great_ job," he jibes after watching her for a few minutes.

Chuck can't take it anymore and lets out an inadvertent sob. She still tries to work through it, though, not wanting Negan to get to her this much. But as she's trying to pull on the piece of furniture still wedged in her doorway, she loses her grip. This causes her to tumble backwards and land on her butt with a thud.

Negan initially steps forward to her, but stops. When he realizes that the girl is now crying heavily with her forehead propped on her knees as she squeezes them into her body, that twinge of guilt builds. And Negan doesn't like that one bit. So instead of doing the right thing and helping her when she very clearly needs it, he turns away from her and goes back into his apartment, trying to escape the thing that is making him feel bad.

Negan can't seem to force himself further into his apartment, though. He leans his back on the closed door and listens as the girl next door cries her heart out in the hallway. The harder she cries, the worse Negan feels about the situation. But he still doesn't really take responsibility for it.

 _This is as much her fuckin' fault as it is mine_ , he rationalizes. _She's the one that started this shit._

But no matter how much he tries to convince himself, he can't push that guilt down. When he finally decides to actually do the right thing and help her, he puts one hand on his doorknob and looks through the peephole. He sees that the girl has actually gotten the couch unstuck and is finally pulling it into her apartment all on her own.

He lets out a sigh and drops his hand from the door, his guilt not dissipating even a little bit.

That night, Negan sleeps alone.

There's a little coffee shop a block away from Chuck's apartment that serves as a meeting place for Chuck and her mother. Every week, Diane would travel the hour or so to eat brunch with her daughter and catch up. Since Chuck doesn't have her own car, Diane is always the one to make a trip. But she doesn't mind.

Chuck is her only child and Diane loves her very much. But she worries about her. Chuck had difficulties growing up, what with her father passing and then with the discovery of her physical deformity. It caused Chuck, who was already naturally sensitive and shy, to become even more so. Chuck had closed herself off to everyone because of it. It had even gotten so bad that Diane had taken Chuck to see a counselor. That had helped Chuck. Or rather, it _seemed_ to have helped Chuck. Diane had always had a sneaking suspicion that the sessions had only made Chuck better at hiding her pain.

When Chuck had decided to move away from home, Diane wasn't exactly happy about it. She knew that her daughter was growing up and needed to make her own life, but she still felt like it would be better for Chuck if she stayed at home with her. Ever since then, Diane has tried her hardest to protect Chuck and make sure she is happy. But sometimes, she feels like she is failing.

"You okay, sweetie?" Diane asks when Chuck goes quiet.

Chuck puts a smile on her face. "Yeah. Just tired." That's not the whole truth. All day, she's felt... not right. Restless, jumpy, fatigued. She can't exactly describe it, but she didn't feel... normal.

"Negan, still?" Diane asks with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah. He's still being a dick about everything."

"Maybe you should find a new place to live."

Chuck lets out a heavy breath. "I can't, Mom. Despite Negan, it's a perfect apartment. It's a good price. It's in a good part of the city and it's close enough to the office that I can take a short Uber when I need to go there." She runs her finger over the rim of her cup. "And there's nothing else available around here anyway."

"Well, I don't like what you've been telling me about your neighbor." Diane takes a drink of her coffee and sets it back on the table. "I could talk to him-"

"No, Mom," Chuck interrupts. "He already says I'm a little girl. Sending my mom after him would just prove his point."

"You can come home, Chuck. Just get away for a few days. You don't look very good."

"Gee, thanks, Mom," Chuck responds sarcastically.

"I just mean you look tired, sweetie. You need some rest."

"I'm okay, Mom. Don't worry so much." Chuck raises her cup to take a sip, but it falls from her hands and shatters on the floor as a sharp pain travels through her abdomen. It's quick and fades fast, which leaves Chuck confused as to what it was.

"What just happened?" Diane asks, concerned for her daughter.

"I-I just got a pain in my stomach, but it went away."

Diane instantly thinks of everything that could be possibly wrong with Chuck. "What kind of pain?" She reaches over the table and puts her hand on Chuck's forehead. "You're hot."

"I am?"

Diane has a very bad feeling about this. "I think I'm gonna take you to the hospital. You really don't look good."

"Don't fuss, Mom."

Diane stands from her seat and motions for Chuck to stand, too. Chuck obliges, though she lets out a huff before doing so, and follows her mother to the door. But before they exit, another sharp pain erupts in her lower abdomen. And this one is so bad it makes Chuck double over and collapse to the ground.

"Chuck!" Diane gets down on the floor beside her daughter, who is yowling in pain. "Someone call an ambulance!"

People start to crowd around them with hands over their mouths to stifle their gasps. Diane looks up from her daughter to tell everyone to back off, but snaps her head back down when she feels Chuck starting to violently shake underneath her hands.

"Oh, god. She's having a seizure." Diane quickly goes into nurse mode and moves to cradle Chuck's head, making sure she doesn't hit it off the ground. Even though it's hard, she keeps it together to try to get her daughter through this.

Chuck opens her bleary eyes and looks around the unfamiliar room. It's unbearably white, so obviously a hospital room. And her whole body hurts.

 _Did I get hit by a truck?_ she wonders. But there aren't any casts on her limbs. Or bandages or even bruises.

Chuck looks off to the side and sees her mother sitting in a chair beside her. She is studying something on her iPad intently, not even noticing that her daughter had woken up.

"Mom," Chuck croaks.

Diane instantly whips her head up to look at Chuck and scoots her chair forward to lean over her. "Hey, sweetie," she coos as she starts to gently run her hand over Chuck's head. "How are you feeling?"

Chuck clears her throat. "Like I got hit by a truck," she answers. "What happened? The last thing I remember is sitting with you in the coffee shop."

Diane takes a deep breath, not knowing how to explain to her daughter that her life is going to be completely different from now on. "You're gonna be just fine, okay?" is what she settles on.

Chuck doesn't like Diane's tone as she says that. "Okay...? Am I, though?"

"Yeah. You're gonna be okay."

"How long have I been here?"

Diane hesitates to answer. "Four days."

Chuck is shocked. "Four days?! Was I in a coma?!"

"Not a coma. You were just sedated." Diane takes a deep breath to calm herself. She _has_ to tell Chuck.

Luckily for her, the doctor comes in at that moment, taking the pressure off of her. The doctor is a middle aged beta with short gray hair and a kind face.

"I see you're awake," the woman says to Chuck. "I'm Dr. Bailey." She reaches out her hand to shake Chuck's then turns to Diane. "How long has she been awake?"

"A few minutes," Diane answers. "I didn't tell her..."

"Tell me what?" Chuck looks from her mother to the doctor.

Dr. Bailey starts to explain. "You have something called Holden-Sawyer Syndrome. It's very rare, but it's been fairly well documented and you have a classic case."

Chuck gasps. "Oh, god." She has never heard of this thing, but she's sure it's probably serious. "Am I gonna die?" she asks as tears well up in her eyes.

Diane grabs Chuck's hand and squeezes it. "Honey..."

The doctor gives Chuck a soft, reassuring smile. "You're not going to die, Charlotte." She moves to stand closer to her patient. "Holden-Sawyer Syndrome affects omegas. It causes delayed presentation and that presentation is usually very hard on-"

Chuck cuts the doctor off. "I'm not an omega." She looks back to her mom. "You and dad are betas."

Diane nods. "It can happen, an omega from beta parents."

Chuck looks back to Dr. Bailey, still confused. "I'm a beta."

"No, Charlotte." The doctor sits down on the edge of Chuck's bed, facing her. "You're an omega. Your young appearance is pretty typical of an omega. And you're underdeveloped sex organs were a textbook feature of HSS. Sufferers almost exclusively are assumed to be betas with congenital defects of the reproductive organs."

Chuck shakes her head. "No..."

The doctor continues. "You've probably been having some symptoms in the last few weeks or months. Emotional instability and pain or soreness in the lower abdomen mainly. But also, maybe some weight gain as your body changes into the more classic omega hourglass. You've sort of... gone through puberty again as your reproductive organs rapidly develop and your hormones start to flow."

Chuck is completely in shock. Even though everything the doctor is saying is what has happened to her, she still can't believe it. "I can't be an omega," she mutters almost to yourself.

"Sweetie, you're an omega," Diane says simply. "You smell like an omega. You're an omega." She knows it's probably shocking to Chuck, but her daughter has to accept it, the sooner the better.

Chuck blinks several times, trying to wrap her head around it.

Dr. Bailey jumps back in. "HSS comes with some... challenging features that we need to discuss. I'm sure in your high school health class, you learned about heats and how they can be painful and disruptive for some omegas. In HSS sufferers, heats are extremely painful and can be dangerous if they aren't sated by an alpha. That's why you're here and that's why we had you sedated for the duration of your presentation heat. While you were out, we gave you medicine to control your core body temperature to make sure you didn't overheat. It wasn't an ideal solution to your heat, of course. But given the fact that you were unaware that you needed an alpha, it was the only way to deal with it."

"What about suppressants?" Chuck asks. She remembers learning about them in those heath classes she took. "Why didn't you just give me some?"

Dr. Bailey clears her throat. "No one is exactly sure why, but HSS sufferers tend to have severe allergic reactions to suppressants. Even the holistic ones."

"So..." Chuck tries to put it all together. "When I get my heats, I'm gonna have to spend them in the hospital?"

"Chuck..." Diane starts, but Dr. Bailey jumps in.

"Ideally, an alpha would help you through it."

Chuck stares at the doctor for a moment, processing what she just said. "Alpha? You mean..." she looks from Dr. Bailey to her mother, then back again, "knott...ing...?" she asks quietly.

"Yes," the doctor answers simply.

Chuck takes that in. "I can... have sex?" She had always accepted that sex was never going to happen for her. But now, the possibility is being dangled before her.

"Yes. There's no reason you can't now. You have perfectly normal omega reproductive organs," Dr. Bailey explains. "You can have sex and even get pregnant. You'll also get a monthly menstrual period, probably starting next month sometime." She gives Chuck a soft smile. "Your mother told me that you don't have a boyfriend and I wanted to stress that, unlike some omegas that use beta males to get them through their heats, that's really not an option for you. An alpha is really your best bet for sating your heat. Being hospitalized is, of course, an option. It's not something that you need to avoid at all costs, but if you choose to spend your heat here, you will be here for the entire duration. And you will be groggy for a few days afterward. Knotting will most likely shave about a day or maybe two off of your heat and you can get back to work and your life much sooner."

Chuck shakes her head. "How am I gonna get an alpha? I-" She clears her throat. "No alpha is gonna want me."

"Oh, sweetie." Diane doesn't know what to say to her somewhat naive daughter. She knows that alphas will certainly want Chuck no matter what. There are far more alphas than omegas in the world, so many alphas never truly mate with an omega. But Diane doesn't want just any random alpha to scoop her daughter up because she can take their knot. She wants her daughter to find love and have a happy life with a mate that will be good to her.

Dr. Bailey cuts in. "Your first heat can come anywhere between three months and a year after presentation. But I know that finding an actual mate can take longer than that. There are other... more temporary options, though." She produces a business card from her pocket. "This company is very reputable. You can meet with prospective alphas and choose who you want. They are very accommodating to an omega's wishes, as well."

Chuck studies the card. _Alpha For You_ is spelled out in a fancy font with various numbers underneath it. It suddenly hits her what this company is. "Alpha for hire?" She looks over to her mother. "Alpha _prostitutes_?"

"I know, sweetie." Diane takes the card from Chuck. "But you don't have a lot of options."

"It's something to be considered," Dr. Bailey comments then stands from the bed. "Your mother has all my info. I would be very happy to take you on as a patient permanently."

"I can't keep my old doctor?"

Dr. Bailey shakes her head. "It's illegal for general practitioners without an omega certificate to treat omega patients. That's why they called _me_ in here. But I'm not the only option, if you'd like to search around."

"No," Diane cuts in. "We'll be happy to have you as Chuck's doctor."

"Okay," the doctor smiles. "I'll have a nurse come in with the discharge papers." She pats Chuck on the leg. "Get some rest at home and call us in a few days to set up a follow up." She shakes both Chuck's and Diane's hands and leaves.

"This can't be happening," Chuck mutters.

"Look, sweetie." Diane grabs her daughter's hand. "You're healthy. That's all that really matters."

"I don't know how to be an omega, Mom."

"You don't have to ' _be_ ' an omega. Just be yourself," Diane responds. "I know this is a lot, but you'll get through it."

"I have to call work," Chuck realizes suddenly. "I missed four days."

"I already called them and said you were in the hospital. You're going to be behind on your work, but your boss was very accommodating. He said you're one of the best coders they have and he just wants you healthy."

"Did you tell him all about this?"

"No. He doesn't have to know. I've been looking all this omega stuff up for four days. You legally don't have to tell anyone your presentation anymore. And legally, no one can ask you. So your boss, your landlord, the bank... no one needs to know."

Chuck looks up to the ceiling and rubs at her eyes. "This is insane."

The nurse comes in with the papers to sign and Chuck and Diane leave the hospital. Instead of going back to Chuck's, though, Diane drives them to her house. But Chuck isn't complaining. She really doesn't feel like taking care of herself at the moment, so any help from her mother is greatly appreciated.

After the couch incident, Negan doesn't give his neighbor much thought. For two days, anyway. He starts to realize that the girl next door is being unusually quiet. Not that she was every really loud before their whole war started, but he would always hear music or the tv going when he'd walk by her door. He'd even hear her singing through the wall of his bedroom every once in a while.

When another day passes with not a peep from the girl, he starts to actually worry. She had undoubtedly been very upset the last time he'd seen her. Would she actually hurt herself?

Negan can't get the thought out of his head, so he heads across the hall and knocks on the door. No response.

"Shit," he says under his breath and knocks again.

Yeah, the girl annoyed him a little, but he didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

"Goddamn it," he mutters again and heads down to the landlord's apartment to see if they can check on the girl.

Sheila answers the door after Negan knocks on it. She and her husband Bill had owned this building for thirty years. When Negan had applied to live here ten years ago, she was wary. They had never had an alpha tenant before then. But they had let Negan take the apartment and he proved to be a fine tenant. He paid rent on time and no one seemed to complain about him. That includes Chuck. Sheila was never made aware of the childish war between Negan and the girl next door. And Negan's nighttime activities went unnoticed by the previous tenant of apartment 54, who happened to be very hard of hearing.

"What can I do for you, Negan," the woman greets.

Negan isn't exactly sure how to go about this. "The girl next door to me... I wondered if you could fuckin' check on her."

Sheila chuckles, already knowing that Chuck isn't home. "I didn't think you were the caring type."

Negan grimaces at the woman. "Will you just-"

Sheila doesn't let Negan finish. "Her mother told me she would be gone for the week. She's sick."

"Okay," Negan spits out then turns to leave. So the girl isn't laying in her bathtub with her wrists slit. That's what he went to figure out, so... mission accomplished.

After convalescing in her mother's house for a few days, it's time for Chuck to go home. Physically, she feels back to normal, but mentally, she is still reeling. Her mood swings had gone away, which Chuck is thankful for, but she's still a little anxious about what all of this means for her future.

When Chuck and her mother get to her building, Chuck sees Negan standing in the open elevator. Negan sees the girl next door, too, and for a moment, he thinks about shutting the doors on her, still thinking about their petty war. But he doesn't go through with it, instead he holds the doors open for the girl and the woman she's with, who Negan assumes is her mother.

Diane thinks at first that she should lead Chuck to the stairs instead of sharing an elevator with Chuck's alpha neighbor. But they're already headed there and the man is holding the doors for them. But once the three of them are trapped inside the enclosed space, though, Diane realizes that her first instincts were right.

Negan's body responds before his brain can process what's happening. His whole body stiffens and his pupils dilate at his proximity to this girl. His skin breaks out into goosebumps as his hair stands on end. When he instinctively sniffs at the air, he finally realizes what's happening.

 _Omega_ is the only thing going through his brain.

At the same time, Negan is having an effect in Chuck, too. She had always thought that he smelled good, figuring it was some sort of expensive cologne that he wore. But she realizes now that it wasn't. It was all him and now the smell is almost intoxicating to her. But she knows that it's just because he's the first alpha she's smelling in her new omega state, so she hangs her head and moves as far away from Negan as she can.

Diane sees all of this happening and doesn't like it at all. When Negan makes a move to step closer to Chuck, Diane places herself between him and her daughter, holding her hand up to stop him from advancing. Negan instantly snaps his gaze to the older woman's, the animalistic part of him wanting to push her away so he can get what he wants. But the fearsome look in her eyes actually sobers him some.

Despite the fact that the beta female would have little chance of successfully fighting off an alpha, Diane knows that she would absolutely fight tooth and nail to protect her daughter from anything. Negan seems to realize all this, and steps back away from the women to face the elevator doors.

It seems like it takes forever for the elevator to get to the fifth floor, but once the doors open, Negan all but runs out and into his apartment. In stark contrast, Diane and Chuck exit the elevator slowly, making their way down the same hallway to Chuck's apartment at a somber pace.

Chuck plops herself down on her couch and lets out a sigh as soon as they get inside.

"I'm gonna make you something to eat, okay?" Diane calls out from the kitchen.

"Okay." Chuck leans her head back on the coach and closes her eyes for several minutes, going over everything that has happened in the last few days and all the information she has had to absorb.

"I want you to move back home," Diane states plainly as she finishes the peanut butter and jelly sandwich for her daughter.

Chuck turns around to look back at her mother. "What?"

Diane places the sandwich on the island and looks Chuck in the eye. "I think you should move back home. You'll be safer there. We _know_ all our neighbors. They're good people."

"I don't want to move, Mom."

"Just listen to me, Chuck. I don't trust Negan with you. He's an unmated alpha and you're an unmated omega."

Chuck laughs. "Negan hates me, Mom. He's not gonna want to ' _mate_ ' me, if that's what you're implying."

"He's an _alpha_ , Chuck. He doesn't always think with his upstairs brain."

Chuck lets out a huff. "That's a little bigoted, don't you think."

"If it gets you out of harm's way then I don't care." Diane points to the sandwich to prompt Chuck into eating it.

Chuck takes the hint and moves to sit down at the counter to eat. "You can't lock me up, Mom. I just want to live my life normally."

"I'm just worried about you." Diane runs her hand over Chuck's shoulder length hair.

"Trust me," Chuck takes a bite. "Negan doesn't want anything to do with me, no matter which brain he's thinking with."

Diane nods, though she thinks that Chuck is being naive about Negan's intentions. She saw it in his eyes in that elevator.

Diane knows that she can't force her daughter to move back in with her, but she _can_ do whatever she needs to to protect her. When Diane exits Chuck's apartment, she marches right over to Negan's door and knocks on it without Chuck knowing.

Negan answers his door and sees Chuck's mother glaring up at him. His gaze instinctively flicks to Chuck's door, but Diane stops that pretty quickly by roughly taking his chin in her hand and pulling his face down to look at her.

"No," she says forcefully, but quietly. "I want you to stay away from my daughter."

Negan thinks that's a pretty reasonable request coming from the pretty middle aged beta. Especially considering that one whiff of the omega next door had him acting like a newly presented alpha that didn't know how to control himself. It took him a good twenty minutes before his higher reasoning came back and he started to actually question how the girl next door had been a beta one day and an omega the next. Well, twenty minutes and rubbing one out.

"Listen to me, Negan," Diane continues when Negan makes no effort to say anything. "I'm a nurse. I work in a hospital. And off the top of my head I can think of four different drugs I have easy access to that would kill a man and leave no trace for the police to find. So keep that in mind if you ever even _think_ about touching my daughter. Got it?"

Negan has to give it up to the beta. She has humungous lady balls coming over here and confronting him like this. But he's pretty sure her threat won't stop him. He can already feel himself being pulled to the omega next door.

But he gives her a nod anyway. "Got it."

"Good." Diane turns away from Negan and heads for the elevator, still wondering if she had done enough to keep her daughter out of harm's way.


	3. Part 3

The war between Chuck and Negan wanes after their encounter in the elevator. Chuck finds herself too preoccupied to really care about it after everything she went through. Not only does she have several days of work to get caught up on, but she also has a ton of information on her new status to absorb.

Chuck realizes pretty quickly that she is woefully ill informed about the group she has found herself in. She had a cursory course in her high school health class on omega physiology. Then in her college American history class, she learned a tiny bit about the omega civil rights movement in the 80s. But it really wasn't a whole lot, so she had some information to get caught up on.

Before the 80s, omegas really didn't have any rights. They couldn't vote, had no representation in government, and actually weren't considered real citizens. It wasn't exactly _illegal_ for omegas to hold jobs or own property, but it wasn't illegal for employers to refuse to hire them or for banks to refuse loans either. So, really, omegas had no choice but to mate early to survive, usually just after presenting in their early teens. And it was perfectly legal for a fully grown alpha to claim a newly presented omega. Non consensual claiming was legal in most states, too. A claim bonds and alpha and omega together when the alpha bites the scent gland on the omega's neck, thus changing her scent for life. So the omega is bonded to the alpha for the rest of her life. And it truly horrifies Chuck that forced claiming was legal not even a generation ago.

But things had changed quickly in the last forty years. Though there is still some prejudice, the current state of things for omegas is definitely the best in the entire history of the country. So at least Chuck can breathe a sigh of relief about that. She doesn't have to worry about being fired immediately or being kicked out of her apartment because she's now an omega. And any alpha that forces a claim on an omega gets life in prison. Advances in medicine also has made it possible to break a claim, if one is forced. It is difficult, but still possible.

During the time that Chuck is wrapping her head around her new status, Negan is busy avoiding the omega next door at all costs. And it's not because her mother threatened him. No, it's because every fiber of his being wants to do anything _but_ avoid her. And that scares him.

He was mated, once. Married to an omega for ten years, his Lucille. But she had died a decade ago. And part of him died, too. People say that alphas don't feel the bond of a claim like omegas do, since they technically aren't the ones that get claimed, but he _felt_ his mate die. Like it was his own body giving out on him.

He _never_ wants to feel that again. Ever. So he hasn't been with any omegas since Lucille died. And he's not planning on changing that. No matter how much of a pull he feels to Chuck.

So when he comes into the building and Chuck is picking up her mail, he rushes to the stairwell so he doesn't get caught in the elevator with her. Or when she leaves her apartment to do laundry, he jumps in the shower to stop him from smelling her scent wafting underneath his door. He even _tries_ not to be so loud in case the girl would confront him about it. Because he's not too sure how much he would be able to control himself if she showed up at his door.

Chuck leaves her apartment for her follow up with Dr. Bailey and it's the first time she's out alone since she presented. Diane couldn't get the day off to be with her daughter, though she tried. But Chuck said that everything would be fine and for Diane not to worry. Even though Chuck is pretty nervous, herself, about it. But she doesn't let that on.

When Chuck steps up into the bus and takes her seat, she can feel eyes on her. It isn't really a very long ride to the medical center, but it starts to feel like forever as an uncomfortable silence makes its way through the vehicle. Chuck knows it's because of her. Though scents aren't as important to betas, they can still easily tell the difference between alphas, betas, and omegas by the way they smell, especially in an enclosed space. And the rarity of omegas means that it's very likely that Chuck is the first one these people have encountered in quite some time.

Chuck isn't used to the attention, being much more accustomed to fading into the background. So the bus ride isn't exactly a comfortable one for her. But nothing major happens and she gets to the doctor's office in time for her appointment.

Dr. Bailey goes over Chuck's lab results and does a thorough exam. The checkup isn't just for Chuck's medical records, though. One of the many things that changed in Chuck's life with her presentation is her medical insurance coverage. Diane had spent hours on the phone with Chuck's insurance company getting everything changed over to an "omega plan" and setting everything up. Part of getting the new coverage requires the results of a full exam to be sent back to the company.

Something that filled Chuck with dread was when she overheard her mother negotiating visits to the alpha brothel for her heats. The prospect was endlessly embarrassing for Chuck. Not only was she probably going to have to sleep with a complete stranger in a few months time, for money, no less, but it was being discussed by her mother and some insurance brokers. Chuck had always heard that "first times" were usually awkward, but this surely has to take the cake.

In the end, Diane informed Chuck that visits to Alpha For You would be completely covered by her insurance. Mainly because it was cheaper than spending several days in the hospital. But, of course, if need be, insurance would also cover the hospital stay. With a higher co-pay, though.

After the doctor finishes up with the exam, she gives Chuck more pamphlets to look over. "Here is some more info for you to read over regarding the medical side of being a newly presented omega." She gets up from her chair and opens the door. "But, you're doing really well with all this," she says with a smile. "Don't hesitate to call if anything arises or you have any questions."

Chuck leaves the medical center a little relieved. The experience wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be. And Dr. Bailey has a way about her that puts Chuck at ease. Unfortunately, Chuck's relaxed feeling doesn't last too long.

As soon as Chuck steps back on the bus to go home, she can smell that there is an alpha on board. It's faint, but in the enclosed space of the bus, it's not hard to pick out. Not wanting to draw any more attention than she did in her first bus ride, Chuck takes an empty seat right by the door, hoping that no one would notice her.

"Hey, omega," someone calls out from the back of the bus in a loud voice.

 _Of course, I can't just be lucky,_ Chuck thinks.

She knows it's the alpha calling out to her, but she really doesn't want to deal with it. So she just ignores him.

"Hey, omega," he tries again. "Come sit back here."

Chuck can feel her whole face get hot as the blood pools just under her skin in embarrassment. Everyone can hear the man. And everyone knows exactly who he's talking to. Still, Chuck just ignores it and hangs her head, waiting for the bus to get to her stop.

"Move," the same deep voice rings out again, but now it's right beside Chuck. The elderly man that had been sitting to her left immediately gets up and is replaced by a tall, muscular built man in his early twenties. He looks like a quintessential douchey frat guy.

Chuck moves to stand from the seat, but the alpha pulls her back down by the elbow.

"Come on, omega. Why you being so rude?" he rasps as he pulls Chuck into his side.

"Please... let go of me," Chuck pleads quietly. "I-I just want to go home."

"Where's home, omega? I can escort you." He leans down into her space and breathes in deep. "You smell good," he growls out.

Chuck tries to lean away from him, but his hold on her is too tight. Being this close to him, Chuck has no choice but to breathe in his scent, too. And it's not at all appealing to her. Granted, she's really only smelled one alpha and his smell is so much more... _attractive_ than the alpha beside her. This guy smells more like spoiled milk and b.o.

"Leave me alone," she tries again and pushes him away as hard as she can. But it's really no use. The alpha is much bigger and certainly much stronger than she is.

The alpha takes Chuck by the shoulders and growls right in her face. "Know your fucking place, knot-slut."

In her peripheral vision, Chuck can see everyone on the bus turn their heads away. They know that it would be dangerous for them to step between an alpha and the thing he wants. And he knows that, too. That's why he's so brazenly acting this way in full view of everyone. Chuck understands why no one is interfering, but she still hopes someone will come forward and get her out of this situation.

"I'm gonna take you home with me and I'll show you a _real_ good time, little omega," the alpha hisses through his teeth.

Chuck's whole body goes stiff as pure fear shoots through her veins. Is this really going to happen to her? What if this alpha goes through with it? Would her hurt her? _Claim_ her?

Chuck is so frightened that she doesn't even realize that the bus is stopped. But when a new loud voice calls out, she turns away from the alpha gripping her to face it.

"Let go of the omega, sir," an alpha police officer demands.

Unbeknownst to Chuck or her alpha attacker, the bus driver had seen what was going on behind her and had notified the authorities discretely. Two officers, an alpha and a beta female were dispatched to intercept the bus at the next stop.

"Really?" the alpha questions the officer. "You _know_ they were put here for us," he spits out, referring to the omega still in his grasp. "Those 'Omega Lib' laws are a crock of shit! How does it feel to betray your own kind, pussy alpha?"

The other cop steps forward, her hand hovering over her taser. "You can either walk off this bus right now and get on with your day, or we cuff you and take you to the station."

The alpha lets out a huff, but unhands Chuck and stands from his seat. "Omega cunt," he says under his breath.

The alpha cop escorts the man off of the bus while the beta cop checks on Chuck.

"Are you okay?" she asks matter of factly.

"Uh..." Chuck clears her throat. "Y-Yeah. I'm okay."

"If he hurt you, you could press charges."

Chuck just wants to put this all behind her. "No. I'm fine. I just want to get home."

"Okay, miss." The officer turns away and exits the bus.

When the bus starts up again, Chuck makes the decision to skip her stop and get off on the one closest to a car dealership that she's passed a ton of times. Because there's absolutely no way she's going to set foot on public transportation again after this.

During the short walk from the bus stop to the dealership, Chuck takes a bunch of deep breaths and tries to rid her mind of what she just went though. She doesn't want to be all weepy and emotional while negotiating with a salesman. So she pumps herself up, says a few mantras, and pushes open the smudge free glass doors of the shiny showroom.

Chuck has no idea that she's about to run into the man that has been trying his hardest _not_ to see her.

Negan had worked at Adams Auto Sales for just over a decade. It's not exactly his dream job, but it pays the bills and he's good at it. It was actually the first job he interviewed for after he had moved into his apartment. And back then, he wasn't exactly picky. Really, at that time, he barely cared about living.

After his mate had died, he just wanted to get away from everything in his life. So he sold their house immediately. Everything in it was like it was saturated with Lucille, so it had to go. Then he quit his job. That actually _was_ his dream job. Teaching kids. He was the phys ed teacher and baseball coach for a high school not far from his former home. He loved it. It made him happy. And because he felt like he didn't deserve any more happiness, it had to go, too.

Within three months of Lucille dying, he had moved into the first apartment he found and took the first job that would take him. And he's lived with those decisions for ten years.

Negan knows the second that the omega next door sets foot in the showroom where he's currently pouring himself a cup of coffee. He slowly turns around to see the girl walking into the large open space, her head moving from side to side as she takes in the sights. The moment that she realizes he is also there is written all over her face.

Chuck pauses her motion into the room when she sees Negan approaching her. She is already having a bad day, so a run in with her neighbor outside of their shared building really isn't necessary. "What are you doing here?" she asks before thinking.

"I _work_ here," he answers with just as much attitude as she gave him. "What are you doing here?"

"You work here?" Chuck repeats.

"Yes," he drags out.

Chuck huffs out a a breath. "Well..." She feels pretty stupid now, so she just tries to move past it. "I need a car."

He stares at her for a few moments before responding. "You've come to the right place."

They both stand there blinking at each other, neither of them knowing how to proceed with this. Should Chuck find a different employee to help her? Should he? Should Chuck and Negan still hate each other? Should they bury the hatchet? Should they just continue to ignore one another? They get an answer of sorts when another person walks up to them.

"Negan?" the middle aged alpha calls out. "Maybe I should handle this sale."

The first thing that goes through Negan's mind is to push this alpha out of the way wrap the omega up in his arms, covering her with his own scent. But, of course, Negan doesn't do any of that because the alpha now standing next to him is his boss, Thomas Adams, and Negan doesn't want to get fired.

As soon as the new alpha makes his presence known, Chuck instinctively takes a step towards Negan, almost standing behind him. She's completely unaware of the movement, though, her body working on its own. But it's not hidden from either alpha, both of which know what it means.

Thomas looks from the omega to Negan, who now has a smug grin plastered on his face. "You know what?" he says, trying to hide his annoyance from the rejection. "You can handle this, Negan." He turns and walks away from the pair.

When Chuck tilts her head up to look at Negan, she realizes that she's much closer to him than she thought. She sidesteps away from him and clears her throat.

"So," Negan calls out, still with that smug grin on his face, "what kinda car you looking for?"

It becomes apparent to Negan fairly quickly that Chuck pretty much knows nothing about cars as she peruses the lot. "You ever bought a car before, sweetheart?" he asks as he follows her.

"Yes," she answers quickly.

He raises his eyebrows at her, not exactly believing it.

"I bought a car my senior year of high school," she bites back. But she knows what he means. "It was a used car that I spent 700 bucks on," she admits.

"That's what I thought." Normally, dealing with a person like Chuck brings dollar signs bouncing before Negan's eyes. He could always talk people into features that they really didn't need. But for some reason, Negan doesn't take advantage of the girl's ignorance regarding horsepower and antilock brakes and the like. She said she wanted a car that was safe and could get her around the city, no bells and whistles required. To he stuck to showing her cars on the cheaper end of the scale.

As Chuck walks around looking at the section of cars Negan had pointed out to her, he is busy watching her. She looks completely different now than she had before. Not that she really was _different_ , but it was more her attitude. Instead of scowling at him or stomping away from him, she's lost in thought, considering her car options with her bottom lip between her teeth.

She's cute, but not exactly his type. Considering that his type is the kind of woman that would go home with him after just a few drinks. This girl isn't like that. At all.

But she's cute. Really cute, actually, with her freckles and her big green eyes. And Negan always had a thing for natural redheads.

"Negan?" She draws him out of his thoughts. "I think I like this one." She points to the sensible sedan in front of her.

He walks toward her with a smile on his face. "Any preference on color?"

"Um." She turns back and looks over the options. "I guess it doesn't really matter. They all look nice." She looks up to him standing beside her. "It's not like any of them are neon green or anything."

"Ahem." He taps her on the shoulder prompting her to turn around and points across the way to a car that is, indeed, the worst shade of neon green.

Chuck laughs. "God, that's ugly."

Negan can't help but laugh, too, as the girl's face lights up with a genuine smile. "Did you just change your mind?" he jokes.

"Oh, definitely," she answers sarcastically. "That ugly thing over there is my dream car."

Negan chuckles at her quick response and turns back to the car she had pointed out. "I always thought the red ones looked the fuckin' best out of this line." He gestures to the car.

Chuck nods. "Okay."

"So why don't we test drive the red one."

As Chuck leisurely drives her prospective new car through the city with Negan in the passenger seat, she smiles at the friendly atmosphere. Never would she have expected that she would almost enjoy Negan's company, but he has proven that he can be a sort of good guy. He actually helped her with picking the car, and he's even offering it at a fair price (a quick google search while Negan was getting the keys told Chuck that). He's also really charming and funny when he's not being a jerk.

As she stops the car at a congested intersection, her eyes flick over to her passenger. When she sees that he is staring squarely back at her, she instantly averts her gaze to the windshield once again. Her cheeks quickly blush as she beats herself up for being so stupid.

Negan lets out a deep chuckle at her reaction. "How are you liking the car?" he asks with a wide grin on his face.

"I like the ride," she answers quickly, but realizes that that sounds weird. "I mean, it rides good. Rides _well_!" She corrects herself. "It's- I- It's nice. I like it." Now her ears are burning hot in embarrassment.

"I'm glad you're enjoying the ride," he responds without missing a beat.

"Um... Thank you...?" Chuck replies quietly.

They sit in silence for a few minutes as Chuck barely inches the car forward in the rush hour traffic. With Negan sitting beside her, his scent filling the small space, and with the way he's been treating her today, she actually starts to feel butterflies in her stomach for the first time is a very long while. It's pleasant and exciting. And just as she starts to really accept the new feeling, he opens his mouth.

"So... how are you an omega, anyway?" he blurts out.

The butterflies instantly die leaving behind a sour feeling. All the good will Negan has garnered with Chuck evaporates away with that one question. Her face instantly falls and she ducks her head to hide just how embarrassing the topic is to her.

"I don't want to talk about it with you, Negan," she responds in the most diplomatic way she can muster, just trying to hold onto those nice feelings she just had.

"Why not?" he responds simply.

The fact that he looks genuinely confused at the notion that she wouldn't want to talk about something so personal has her embarrassment turning into rage. " _Why not_?" she repeats searingly.

Her tone has him getting angry, too. "Yeah. Why _not_?" he stresses again.

Chuck just wishes that the traffic would clear out so she can get back to the dealership, but there's no such luck. She inches the car forward one car length and gets stopped again. "It's not exactly your business, is it?" she finally adds.

"Well," he lets out a huff, "it kinda _is_ my fucking business."

She whips her head to look at him. "How do you figure that?" she spits back.

"Don't be fuckin' stupid, little girl. You know damn well why."

She lets out a huff in shock. Not really because of how he's acting, but because she let herself think for one second that he might be a good guy. "What I _know_ is that two weeks ago, you didn't even know I _existed_. Even though I've been living next door to you for four," she shoves her hand showcasing four fingers into his face," years. Then, when you do realize I'm an actual person, you make sure that I know just how much you _hate_ me everyday. And now that you know I'm an omega, I'm just supposed to open up and tell you my whole life story?"

"I didn't fuckin' ask for your life story," he spits back. "I just asked how you were a _beta_ one minute and a goddamn _omega_ the next! Do you really fuckin' blame me for asking?! It's a big _fuckin'_ deal."

"It's not _your_ deal!" she screams. When her words are punctuated with car horns, Chuck realizes that the traffic has let up and she can drive. So she does, making her way straight back to the dealership. Negan and Chuck rush through the paperwork to finalize the sale with very few words uttered between them and go their separate ways.

That night, Negan decides to unwind at his favorite watering hole, named The Outlaw Pub. It's just a couple of blocks from his apartment building, so he found it easily right after he moved in. That's when he met the owner, Simon.

Since Negan spends so much time in Simon's establishment, the two alphas build up something like a friendship. They don't exactly hang out outside of the bar, but they talk and are friendly with each other.

"You look like shit," Simon comments when Negan takes his usual seat at the bar. "Rough day?" Simon doesn't even ask what Negan wants, he just starts to pour a double bourbon, knowing that that's what Negan would order.

"Yeah." Negan drags his hand over his face before propping his elbows up on the bar. "Something like that."

Despite the fact that Simon is the closest thing Negan has to a friend, he doesn't want to discuss exactly what's bothering him. Mainly because what's bothering him is his neighbor and the fight they had earlier when she showed up at his work. _Especially_ because Negan never told Simon that the girl next door, the one that he's complained about before, is now an omega. An _unmated_ omega. And Simon is an unmated alpha.

There is no way that Negan is going to advertise the whereabouts of a single omega to anyone, even to his friend.

Simon pushes the drink in front of Negan. "Are you looking for a distraction?" Simon nods his head in the direction of a group of giggly women. "Bachelorette party."

Negan turns around to look at the women. "Fuck yeah." Negan starts to grin. "Think I can get two to come home with me? Get some threesome action?"

"No fuckin' way," Simon scoffs.

"Bet you twenty fuckin' bucks I can."

Simon laughs and shakes his head. "You're on."

Negan takes the glass from the bar, downs it, and gives Simon a wink before he approaches the women.

When Negan leaves the bar, Simon's wallet is exactly twenty dollars lighter.

Chuck finds herself sitting in the fancy lobby of the Alpha For You office a few days later. Her insurance company had set this appointment up for her, so she really has very little choice in the matter. Despite her nerves about the situation, she did what she was told, completing the questionnaire in the Alpha For You app yesterday and showing up for the appointment, of course.

"Charlotte?" A pretty, well-dressed beta woman comes out from a hallway and motions for her. "Right this way."

Chuck stands and follows her. "You can call me Chuck."

"Certainly, Chuck. My name is Sophia and I will be guiding you through the process." They continue to walk down a long and winding hallway. "We've taken the results of your survey and have picked out five candidate for you to choose from. Did you read their profiles in the app?"

"Yup," Chuck answers, trying to sound casual. In actuality, Chuck has the alphas' information memorized. The moment the app had brought them up, Chuck had read and reread their profiles. She thought that if she knew about the alpha that she would ultimately sleep with, it would be less awkward.

"Great!" They finally get to a door and pause outside of it. "We just like to have you meet our alphas here, face to face, to start the selection process."

Chuck is suddenly very nervous and second guessing her choice to do this all alone. Her mother had offered to accompany her here, but Chuck thought it would be more awkward to have to choose someone to get her through her heats with her mother right beside her. "Oh... Uhh... okay."

Sophia lays her soft hand on Chuck's shoulder. "Don't be nervous. We all know about your unique situation and we're all determined to give you the care you need."

"Okay." Chuck lets out a deep breath and waits for Sophia to open the door.

The room beyond the door is just as lavish as the waiting room. Expensive furniture makes up the sitting area in the center with a full bar behind it. And, of course, there are five alphas milling around the room.

"Would you like a drink?" Sophia asks as she leads Chuck further in.

"Uh... no, thank you." Chuck takes her seat in the chair that Sophia indicates.

The alphas, one by one, step forward, introduce themselves (Brian, Casey, Trevor, Jamie, and Miles), and shake Chuck's hand. They are all between their early twenties and early thirties and fairly handsome. Not to mention, they're all over over six feet tall. Those facts are in their profiles, but now that Chuck sees them in person, she realizes just how big and intimidating they all are. And it does nothing for her nerves.

Sophia gestures to the couches and the men take their seats. She takes the chair right beside Chuck and turns to her. "Am I right in assuming that you would be more comfortable employing the same alpha for every heat? Some women like variety, but most want familiarity."

"Uh... Yeah. That's- I would rather have the same one," Chuck answers meekly.

Sophia gives Chuck a friendly smile. "Would you like to ask them any questions."

Chuck shakes her head. Of course she has questions, but she's so nervous right now, she doesn't really want to voice them.

Sophia seems to recognize this. "It's okay, Chuck. We're here to make sure everything is perfect for you."

"O-Okay. Uh... The app- The profiles didn't say if, uh... if any of them had ever, um, been with an omega for her, you know, first time."

Sophia nods in understanding. "Your situation is unique. Most of our clientele is made up of betas that want the alpha experience. Our omega clients are mainly older omegas who have lost their mate. We do have a few younger omegas that can't take suppressants for various other reasons, but... None of our alphas here have ever been an omega's _first_ alpha."

Chuck nods. She had hoped that some of the alphas would have experience with that. That maybe if they did, they would make it easier on her.

Sophia continues. "But these alphas are among the gentlest we have. And I assure you, they will be very attentive to your needs."

Chuck nods again. "Okay."

Sophia holds her arm out to the alphas. "Why don't you scent them?"

Chuck doesn't exactly know what she means. "Scent?"

"Some alphas aren't as compatible with an omega as others," Sophia explains. "An omega can usually tell in the alpha's scent."

"Oh, okay." Chuck hesitantly stands from her seat and moves to the first alpha on the left, Jamie.

He tilts his head to the side to give Chuck better access. The easiest way for Chuck to properly scent the alphas is to get close to one of their scent glands, located in the neck and wrists.

Knowing that she will have to get so close to these men has Chuck giggling nervously. "Sorry. I'm-I'm nervous."

"It's okay, darling," Jamie comments gently. "Take your time."

Chuck bends down closer to his exposed neck and inhales. He smells good, actually.

 _Not as good as Negan._

Chuck shakes the thought out of her head and moves to Casey. He smells okay. Not exactly bad, but not exactly good either. More like a subtle body wash smell. The next alpha, Miles smells the best, yet. Well, the best out of _these_ alphas, anyway. Once again, Chuck scolds herself for letting her alpha neighbor worm his way into her thoughts.

Chuck bends down close to Brian, but instantly shoots back at his scent and covers her nose. He smells like hot garbage and roadkill. "I'm sorry," Chuck apologizes quickly to him.

The rest of the alphas chuckle at her reaction to Brian, who stands from his seat and shakes Chuck's hand. "It was nice meeting you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's okay, Chuck. I don't take it personally. You can't help how you react to my scent." Brian leaves, knowing that his part in this process is over.

Trevor is last and his scent is similar to Jamie's. Pretty good, but not the best. With that all done, Chuck stands in front of the men, not sure what else to do.

"Do-" Chuck turns back to Sophia. "Do they need to smell me?"

Sophia shakes her head. "Even though alphas can be more sensitive to scents, they tend to be less picky about them than omegas. I'm sure you smell fine to them."

"Oh. Ok." Chuck sits back down in her chair.

"Are you okay with moving forward with these four?" Sophia asks Chuck.

"Yeah."

"Okay." Sophia gives her that friendly smile again. "Then the next thing we like to do is to have the alphas visit you in your home. Usually, when an omega is in their own space, they find it easier to make the choice as to who they want to let into that space. We can set up the appointments in the app, probably within the next few days. We were told we still have maybe a couple of months before your heat, but we want to get all of this out of the way as quickly as possible."

"Yeah. That sounds good," Chuck agrees.

True to Sophia's word, the company sets up an appointment the next day with Trevor. Of course, Chuck is nervous to have him in her apartment, but it goes well. He's polite and very informative for the hour or so that he stays. But when it's time for him to leave, Chuck isn't sure if he's the right one.

At the same time that Chuck sees Trevor out of her apartment, Negan is just entering his. Their eyes meet momentarily, but Chuck quickly looks away and closes her door.

Negan is frozen in place though, watching the strange alpha exit Chuck's apartment and head down the hallway. He doesn't like it. At all.

He stomps across the hall and lifts his fist up to knock on her door, but he stops himself.

 _What the fuck am I doing? She can do whatever the hell she wants. Fuck whoever she wants. It doesn't fuckin' bother me,_ he lies to himself.

The next day, the agency sets up two appointments, one with Jamie and one with Miles. Though they're the two best smelling alphas of all the prospects, Chuck finds that their personalities don't mesh well with hers. Not that they were unprofessional in their separate meetings, but they just weren't the ones.

Though Negan tries to ignore the the fact that two separate alphas today had encroached on his territory, plus one yesterday, it does bother him. A lot, actually. But he buries it, not really wanting to admit that it is indeed bothering him.

Chuck is a little dejected before her appointment with Casey the next day. The other alphas were _okay_ , but she just really didn't see herself actually sleeping with them. But Casey is actually different. He's goofy and makes her laugh. Even though he doesn't have that strong alpha scent that makes her body react, he puts her at ease.

When he leaves, Chuck has a lot to think about. Should she go for one of the ones that are more compatible with her body? Or should she consider the ones that is more compatible with her personality?

While Chuck is ruminating on that, Negan is pacing his apartment. The omega next door had let yet another strange alpha into her apartment. And Negan is having a hard time dealing with it.

"What the fuck is wrong with her?" he growls out loud. Before he even realizes what he's doing, his fist pounds on the door next door.

The loud noise makes Chuck jump, but she steadies herself and answers the door. She doesn't even get anything out before Negan starts.

He does actually try to hold back his rage, but his voice still comes out somewhat raised. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Chuck rolls her eyes and tries to close the door on him, but he places his large hand on it to stop the motion. "What are you doing, Negan?!"

He knows that she's scared and it sobers him. He takes in a deep breath and removes his hand from the door. "Why are you bringing alphas up here?" he asks in an even tone.

His change in demeanor has Chuck more confused than scared now. "What?"

"I don't want you bringing alphas up here."

Now she's actually angry. "It's a good thing that I don't care what you want then, isn't it?"

Negan leans in towards her, but doesn't raise his voice. "This is my home and I should have a fucking say."

Chuck holds her ground. "This is _my_ home and I say you don't."

Negan stands up straight and chuckles darkly. "Your mommy know that you're presenting that omega pussy for any alpha you meet?" He knows it's the asshole thing to do. Or rather, he knows it _after_ he says it. In actuality, he's just not being able to deal with the thought that she's sleeping with any alpha that isn't him. No matter how much he tries to lie to himself that that's not the case

Chuck reels back in shock then slaps the man across the face. "I _hate_ you, Negan!" Her eyes immediately fill with tears. "You're the worst person I've ever met!"

"Real _fuckin'_ mature, little girl," he growls.

"Get out of my face!"

"All those alphas know that you act like a spoiled fuckin' eight year old outside of the bedroom? They only care about popping their fuckin' knot, though, right?"

"Leave me alone!" Chuck shoves Negan as hard as she can, but he barely moves. "I hate you more than anything!" She pushes him again and this time, he steps back enough that Chuck can slam the door in his face.

Chuck spends the whole rest of the night sobbing loudly into her pillows. And Negan spends the whole rest of the night listening to her.


	4. Part 4

Negan's not used to caring about another person's feelings. Not that he's a monster, or anything. He feels bad when he sees natural disasters or massacres on the tv, but he also says everything on his mind without thinking if someone would be hurt by it. He's always been an unapologetic asshole his whole life. So he's thrown for a loop when the sobs of the omega next door make a strong feeling of guilt bubble up in his chest. Strong enough that he can't fall asleep.

And this is the _second_ time the girl has elicited this feeling.

When the tone on his phone starts to play, he sits up from his bed with a groan, turning the alarm off quickly. Chuck had finally cried herself to sleep a few hours ago, but Negan still couldn't follow her, staying awake even after everything went quiet.

He gets ready for work and drinks a whole pot of coffee before he leaves his apartment. He has a fleeting thought that maybe he should check on the girl next door, but he dismisses it with a shake of his head and continues on his way.

His work doesn't provide much of a distraction throughout the day. It is uncharacteristically slow, so Negan has nothing but time to ponder his whole situation. He finds himself typing 'omega' into google, thinking maybe the internet will provide some answers to the questions he won't admit he wants to ask. It doesn't really help, though, the only pages that come up are porn sites and message boards for omegas to talk to one another.

Negan lets out a huff and rubs his hand down his jaw. He goes back to the top of the page and types in 'beta to omega' in the search bar. The girl next door hadn't answered him when he asked outright about her surprise presentation and despite Negan not wanting to admit that he's been so affected by her, he still really wants to know about her. That search is fruitless, too, though. It mainly brings up fictional books and romantic stories about betas changing their presentation.

He finally gets to the point and types in '25 year old presents omega'. The first three pages mention Holden-Sawyer Syndrome so he searches that instead. He spends about an hour reading all about the affliction. The more he reads about it, the more he sees how it fits with Chuck. The way she started fighting with him after years of never making a peep could be explained by mood swings, which are common before presentation. Also the way her body changed. Negan thinks she must've changed in the last few months considering he had never really noticed her before. If she always had those curves, there's no way he wouldn't have noticed.

And, of course, the time she was "sick" for a week. That must've been her presentation heat. The website says that heats are dangerous for omegas that have have this syndrome. They can't take suppressants, either, so their only options are take a knot from an alpha or spend their heat in a hospital. When Negan starts to read about alphas for hire and how they can be used if an omega has no mate, he has a realization.

"Alpha whores," he mutters to himself.

Those alphas coming in and out was just Chuck trying to find which alpha whore she wants to use to get her through her heats. The thought initially makes Negan feel a little better. She wasn't picking up random alphas to fuck everyday. But then he realizes that she _is_ going to fuck one of those alphas. At least. Not to mention that when she knew she would need an alpha, she didn't even consider _him_ as an option. And that stung.

But why _would_ she consider him? She was going through something major and he made it worse by being a dick. Why on earth would she want him when he was being such an asshole? Maybe if he were nicer to her...

When Negan gets home after work, he pauses before opening his door. Peeking over his shoulder at Chuck's door, he lets out a heavy breath, trying to rid himself of the unpleasant feeling pooling in his stomach. But it's no use. He spins around and knocks on the door before he talks himself out of it.

Chuck stands from her desk chair and looks through the peephole after hearing the knock. When she sees Negan standing at her door, scratching at the back of his neck, she backs away. There is no way that she's going to talk to that jerk. Especially not after everything he said last night.

Negan knows Chuck is in her apartment, considering the girl rarely leaves. And he actually knows she's standing just behind the door because her scent coming from under the door is stronger than it was before he knocked. That means that she knows he's there and she's just _choosing_ not to answer the door. Negan lets out a sigh and turns to go home.

He tries again the next day after work. Again, Chuck goes to the door, but doesn't answer. She's still too hurt by his words.

The next day, he knocks again. But when she doesn't answer, he decides to try more.

"Come on, Chuck. I know you're in there. Just talk to me," he calls out through the door.

She doesn't answer him. She just continues to stand there waiting for Negan to go back home.

But he doesn't. "I'm trying to apologize here, but I don't want to do it through a goddamn wall. Will you just open the door so we can talk like fuckin' adults?"

"I'm not an adult," Chuck snaps back bitterly. "I'm a spoiled eight year old. Remember?"

Negan lets out a huff. "Okay. I fuckin' deserve that. I know you're not a spoiled eight year old, okay?" He waits for Chuck to say something else, but she stays quiet. "Look... I looked up shit. Holden-Sawyer Syndrome. That's why you presented late, right?"

As soon as he says it, Chuck feels her cheeks redden. She really doesn't want to talk about her diagnosis with Negan, but she certainly doesn't want Negan shouting about it in the hallway, either. She hesitantly unlocks the door and opens it.

As soon as the door opens, Negan can't help but stare at the big green eyes gazing up at him. He'd never seen eyes quite the same color before. They almost looked like gems or stone, he thought. Like the jade figurines he had seen in a museum once.

Chuck moves to the side to allow Negan to pass into her apartment. Her movement brings Negan out of his thoughts and he crosses the threshold into the room. This apartment is basically a mirror image of his own. Her kitchen is to the left of the door with the bedroom off to the right and the living rom directly in front of him. But she has her tv and couch set up in a slightly different place than he does.

Chuck holds her hand out to gesture to the couch. Negan follows her prompt and sits on one end while Chuck sits down on the other, hesitant to be too close to him.

Negan clears his throat to start. "I was out of line the other night. And, you know, with the couch and being fuckin' loud. I shouldn't have fuckin' escalated shit, either." He lets out a heavy breath, not sure what to say. "It's not exactly easy to admit when I'm wrong and say sorry."

"I would've never guessed that," Chuck responds sarcastically.

"Yeah." Negan nods his head slowly and sucks on his teeth. "I am sorry, okay? I should have been more fuckin' mature. So... I'm sorry for all that shit. I never wanted to upset you as much as I did."

He seems actually genuine to Chuck, so she accepts his apology. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have gone off the handle at first. But what you said to me the other night..." she gets choked up thinking about it, "it was really hurtful." Despite trying to hold back, Chuck can't stop her eyes welling up. She turns away and wipes at her eyes to prevent the tears from falling.

One look at the girl's wobbling chin and quivering bottom lip has Negan scooting closer to her to comfort her. He sets his hand gently on her shoulder, the action prompting Chuck to turn her head back to him.

"Don't cry, sweetheart." He gently swipes her tear away with his thumb.

Chuck can't deny that the caring action makes those butterflies flutter in her stomach again. That is, until she remembers that Negan is the reason she needs comfort in the first place.

She fights the urge to accept his soothing touch. "It's _Chuck_." She gently pushes Negan's hand from her face and clears her throat. "I was really hurt by what you said. And I know no one's probably ever said anything that upset you, but... I guess I'm sensitive and you really-"

"I know," he interrupts, actually feeling bad about how he has affected this girl. "I'm an asshole and I never should've said that shit." He scratches at his beard. "And I know who those alphas were. Now, after I looked that shit up. I know you're gonna need one of them for your heat. Medically."

Chuck sniffles. "Yeah. And I really don't need _your_ judgement."

"I'm not judging."

Chuck gives him an incredulous look. "You said-"

"I know what I said." He lets out a huff. This conversation isn't going the way that he thought it would. He thought she'd just accept his apology and move on. But that's not exactly happening. "It wasn't _judgement_. It was... anger."

"You practically called me a slut."

She's right. And he knows it. But he's not going to admit it. And he's certainly not going to admit that his anger was mostly out of jealously at the thought that she was sleeping with other alphas.

"Look. I'm an alpha. And I know you were inviting alphas into your own home, but since we live in pretty much the same fuckin' place, my territorial alpha ass interpreted that as strange alphas invading _my_ area," he fibs, completely downplaying the real reason. "So I kinda freaked the fuck out."

Chuck takes his words at face value. "Oh." She didn't really think about it that way. "I-I guess I should've warned you first. I'm sorry."

Negan actually feels a little guilty at how easy it was to convince her. "No. It's not your fault, sweethear- Chuck."

She giggles at the fact that he corrected himself. She never liked those kind of pet names, thinking that they were belittling. Not really that she gets called them often, but when she does, it's always because people think she's a kid. But, honestly, she didn't exactly _hate_ it when Negan called her sweetheart a little bit ago.

"Do you have plans for dinner?" he suddenly asks.

"No...?" she answers, confused at why he's asking.

"Let me make all of this up to you by making you fuckin' dinner tonight."

She scrunches up her face, still confused. "You want to make me dinner?"

"Yeah." He chuckles at her reaction. "You act like a man's never made a fuckin' meal for you before."

She feels her cheeks get hot, so she just shrugs, not wanting to admit that she really never did have a man make dinner for her.

"Shit," he mutters. "No one's ever made you dinner before," he responds, his statement somewhere between a question and a declaration.

Now her ears start to burn. "I-I... guess... not."

Negan sees the girl's whole face turn red in embarrassment. It's really a curious thing to him. He himself has never really been embarrassed in his whole life. Maybe when he was a kid a few times, but nothing like what this girl is going through. It's actually kinda cute, if Negan thinks about it. Her chewing at her lip and her cheeks going all rosy brings a smile to his face. But his thoughts quickly travel to what other activities might turn those cheeks pink.

Chuck is at a loss for words. And Negan isn't helping. He's just staring at her with his bottom lip between his teeth. _He's just trying to be nice, right?_ she thinks. _Bury the hatchet and that's it. Don't make a big deal out of it._

She clears her throat to try to act like an actual normal human being for once. "What kind of dinner are you making?" _That doesn't sound normal, Chuck!_ she berates herself. "I mean, what kind of meal?" _Wow, you're horrible._ "I mean, what are you making for dinner?" She can't even look at him by the time she finishes.

 _This girl is something else._ he thinks as she speaks. He's used to her giving him attitude, but one mention of a friendly meal has her so flustered, which is confusing. When she threw the first punch by playing music to interrupt his fuck session with whatever woman he was entertaining that night, he had thought that the girl next door was just an uptight bitch. But seeing her now has him rethinking that opinion. That bitchiness was most likely just hormones from her presentation. This girl sitting in front of him all blushing and adorable is most likely who she really is.

And he definitely wants to get to know this girl a little better.

"How does spaghetti and meatballs sound?" he asks with a smirk. "Homemade sauce and garlic bread?"

She meets his gaze. "Um... That sounds okay. Good, I mean."

His mouth curls up in a grin. "Come over to my place in an hour." He stands from her couch and walks to the door. "Don't be late." He opens the door and lets himself out.

Chuck sits there for a few minutes in silence before she even moves. "What just happened?" she says to herself.

For the next hour, Chuck freaks out a little bit. She had been sure that her neighbor hated her guts, but now, he apologized and wants to make dinner for her? She would've never imagined that that would happen. And now, she'll be going to his apartment for dinner. Not just dinner, but a _homemade_ meal. That's special, isn't in? He's making an actual effort for her.

She starts to think about her role in all of this and decides that she should make an effort, too. Negan is making the meal, so she should cover dessert. Cooking isn't exactly her strong suit, though. Thankfully, there happens to be a bakery down the street that does fancy cupcakes, so she goes there to buy a half dozen. By the time she waits in line, gets her cupcakes, and walks back home, it's time for dinner.

Chuck knocks quietly on the door to apartment 53 and waits with the box of cupcakes in the other hand. When the door opens, Chuck is hit by the delicious aroma of the meal that Negan had prepared.

"Come on in," he announces cheerfully and steps to the side to hold the door open.

"Wow. It smells delicious," she comments as she crosses the threshold into his apartment. "I, uh, I brought dessert." She turns around to face Negan as he shuts the door. "Cupcakes," she says as she holds the box up. "I, um. I didn't make them. I bought them."

Negan chuckles and walks toward Chuck to take the box from her. "That's perfect." He sets it on the counter and gestures to the table, already set up for two. "Dinner's fuckin' done so go ahead and take a seat."

"Oh, okay." She takes one of the seats and sits down.

As Negan plates up to food, Chuck glances around Negan's apartment. It's tidy. Definitely more masculine than her own, with everything in dark woods and leather. And all of his furniture is much more expensive than her own.

Only a few minutes later, Negan sets a plate full of delicious smelling pasta in front of Chuck. "There you go, sweetheart." He sets his own plate across from her and sits down.

He didn't catch himself that time, but it doesn't really bother her as much as she thought it should. That doesn't mean that she's going to let him off the hook, though.

"Is it really hard?" she teases.

Negan raises his eyebrows at her, not really sure what she's talking about. Surely this sweet thing isn't talking about what he _thinks_ she's talking about. "Hard?" he finally asks.

"Not just using my name," Chuck answers.

Negan chuckles. Yup, the girl did _not_ mean what he thought. "I guess it's just a habit." He gestures to the food and both of them take a bite.

"Oh, wow," Chuck mumbles with the food still in her mouth. She swallows before continuing. "This is awesome. You're a great cook."

Negan smiles at the compliment. "I'm fuckin' glad you like it." He takes another bite then swallows. "So, are you gonna get pissed if I call you anything but 'Chuck'?"

"Well," she dabs her lips with a napkin, "usually people call me little names because they think I'm a kid."

"I know you're not a kid."

She doesn't know why, but that makes a blush creep up her cheeks. "O-Okay. I guess it's okay, then." She takes a bite to try to cover her embarrassment.

Negan sees it, though. "Okay, sweetheart," he throws out to see what she'd do. He gets the reaction he'd hoped for when she bites her lip and tucks some of her wavy hair behind her ear as the blush in her cheeks deepens.

Chuck can't help the effect that her neighbor's deep voice and natural charm has on her. She knows she's going to beat herself up for it later, but right now, she can't really control herself.

"So what do you do?" Negan asks casually.

Chuck clears her throat to try to settle herself. "I'm a coder for Ad Astra."

"What's Ad Astra? And what's a coder?"

Chuck giggles before she answers. "Ad Astra is a software company and I write code for them. I basically do the stuff that makes programs and apps work."

He nods slightly. "I know fuck all about that shit. I gotta use a goddamn computer at work and that's about the end of it."

"Well, I like computers. And I get to work from home, so..." She shrugs a shoulder.

"Ah. That explains it. I thought I was living next to a fuckin' invalid."

"Not an invalid." She laughs. "Just somebody who likes staying in."

"If you like staying in, why'd you buy a fuckin' car?"

"Oh, uh... I do have to leave occasionally. And public transportation got a bit more interesting after... you know." She giggles nervously, not exactly wanting to go into it.

"What do you mean by 'interesting'?" He has a feeling he knows and it's already got his hackles raised.

"Well... just... you know." She shrugs. "People not minding their own business and stuff." She's quick to take a bite.

"Hmm." _This girl is a shitty liar._

When Chuck is stuffed full, she pushes her plate away. "That was so good, Negan. I think I probably gained ten pounds," she jokes.

Negan stands and starts to clear the dishes. "Did you leave room for those fuckin' cupcakes?"

"I don't think I did." She giggles.

"Well, digest for a little while. We'll have some later," he throws over his shoulder as he places the plates in the sink.

"Oh, okay," she responds before really thinking.

 _Wait. He wants me to stay?_ she finally realizes.

Negan moves over to his couch and gestures to it. "Come on over here, honey."

Chuck stands from her seat at the table and moves to the couch. Negan waits for her to sit before he does, too. At a respectful distance, of course. He's pretty sure this girl isn't going to allow him to bed her just yet, so he may as well not push it.

They sit in silence for a few minutes. Negan is perfectly content watching the girl next door. The way her chest softly rises and falls under her breath. Her delicate hands sliding down her thick thighs until her long slender fingers tap randomly on her knees.

Chuck, however, hates the awkward silence. "Your apartment is nice," she blurts out and turns her head to face Negan.

He lifts his gaze to her face. "Thanks," he responds simply.

Despite the fact that Chuck feels like she's being awkward, she actually doesn't want to leave for some reason. At least any reason she wants to think about.

"How long have you lived here?" she asks quickly so the silence doesn't build again.

He thinks a moment. "Ten years or so."

Chuck nods. "I like it here. It's a good neighborhood."

"Yeah. Sheila and Bill are pretty good landlords."

Chuck nods again, not sure of what else to say. She's never been good with people one on one. Especially men.

Negan isn't sure what to say, either. Chuck, herself, said that she was sensitive and Negan has said the wrong thing and upset her before. A few times, actually. He doesn't really want to do that again and have to work her back up from hating him to liking him again. He's doing good right now, so he doesn't want to ruin it.

Negan clears his throat. "So, what the fuck do you like to do at home since you like staying in?"

"Play video games." She giggles, a little embarrassed by her answer. "I play guitar. And read." She shrugs. "I'm not really interesting." She giggles again.

"I wouldn't say that." He gives her a smile and it makes her feel better. "I read, too. I don't exactly play guitar, but I got that old record player over there." He points over to the console stereo. "But the last video game I played was Pac-Man when I was fourteen, so I don't know shit about that."

Chuck laughs. He's actually trying to be really nice to her and it's making her feel all warm and fuzzy. "Can I look through your records?"

"Sure." Negan stands and opens up the bottom of the record player to reveal shelves completely full of records. "But I fuckin' doubt you've heard of most of them."

Chuck kneels down and starts to sift through them. They are all in alphabetical order by artist and are separated by letter with plastic dividers. "Very organized," Chuck mentions aloud.

Negan kneels down beside her. As she leans in to look at the records, her neck moves into position close to Negan's nose. He instinctively breathes in a deep breath, scenting her. And it's pretty much the best thing he's ever smelled. He tries to convince himself that it's only because it's been several years since he's been this close to an unmated omega. But he knows deep down, it's for another reason.

"Queen, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath. You have a really good collection."

"You like this music?"

"They don't call it 'classic rock' for nothing. It's all classic."

"Most of these were my mom's," he comments.

"My dad liked classic rock. My mom is more of a folk kinda person."

It doesn't evade Negan's grasp that she said her father 'liked'. Meaning he's probably gone.

She pulls a record out. "Misfits?"

"That one is all mine." He chuckles. "You like Misfits?"

"Yeah. I actually have a Misfits T-shirt somewhere."

"So you got good taste in music. I stand corrected." He stands, stopping himself from groaning at his protesting knees. "You ready for those cupcakes?"

"Yeah. I think so." She stands and follows Negan over to the counter. "I got a variety because I didn't know what you would like."

He opens the box and sees the sweet confections, perfectly iced an topped with sprinkles and chocolate shavings. "I'm not picky, sweetheart. You pick whenever one you want."

She looks over the box and chooses a chocolate one with white frosting. Negan picks a red velvet one and they each take a bite. Chuck ends up getting frosting on her nose, which makes Negan chuckle.

"You got a little..." He leans forward and wipes the tip of her nose with his thumb.

The contact sends a wave of excitement through her body, turning her cheeks instantly red and making her giggle. Negan sees the reaction and smirks back at her.

"Sorry," she whispers and wipes at her nose to get whatever Negan missed.

"No problem." He licks his thumb then finishes his cupcake and grabs another. "These are fuckin' awesome."

"They are really good."

"Have another."

She giggles. "I think I'm good. I ate so much today."

He smiles warmly at her. "Okay."

Chuck feels those butterflies in her stomach going haywire at the sight. But it's not just that, it's everything. The way his scent calms her, his deep voice, his effortless charm. It all makes her feel like she's being pushed toward him by some unseen force. But she's not ready to relinquish control to her new omega instincts.

"I-I should get going," she announces suddenly.

Negan's smile falters slightly. "Alright, sweetheart. I'll walk you out." He does the gentlemanly and sees her to her door.

She opens it and turns around to Negan. "Thank you for dinner. It really was delicious."

"You're welcome, honey." He smiles down at her. "You know, I do more than fuckin' spaghetti. We can do this again sometime, if you want."

Chuck starts nodding before she really thinks about it. "Uh... yeah. That sounds good."

"Good." Negan stands there, waiting to see what Chuck does. As much as he wants to make the first move, he stops himself, not wanting to scare the shy girl off.

When the electricity between the pair builds, Chuck wrestles with what to do. She feels the compulsion to do something she can't quite explain exactly. Jump in his arms, touch his skin, kiss his lips, something... more. The feeling makes her incredibly nervous. She's never really been romantic with a man before, having always felt that she was incapable of having a normal relationship with one. But that's not the case now. She could potentially have that normal relationship. Have a _mate_. And she has a fleeting thought that maybe it could be the man standing before her.

In the end, though, she decides to run away from those thoughts. "Goodnight, Negan." She takes a step backward away from her neighbor and into her apartment."

"Goodnight, baby girl."

She quickly closes the door, unsure of what she might do if she didn't.

Chuck barely leaves her apartment for the next few days, afraid of running into Negan and making a fool of herself. She feels like a teenager again with her first crush. All those same feelings she had back then come rushing back. And they aren't all good ones. She had spent so long staying away from people that she almost forgot about how self conscious she can get around them.

Now that Negan has dangled himself in front of her, she isn't sure she should trust it. She's seen the kind of women he brings back and they definitely aren't like her. All sleek makeup and tastefully revealing clothing. Meanwhile, Chuck's wardrobe is comprised of T-shirts and jeans, one tube of mascara being the entirety of her makeup collection. She's so different from those confident, sexy women that she doesn't really see why Negan would waste any time with her. Even with the whole alpha/omega attraction thing, she doesn't think he would choose Plain Jane omega Chuck over a gorgeous, sexy beta.

But maybe... just maybe he actually _does_ like her as a person.

It's one of the days that Chuck needs to go to the office, so she gets up early and drives herself to Ad Astra headquarters. It will be her first time there after she presented. To say she's nervous is an understatement.

When she gets to her floor, she goes mostly unnoticed for a while. It's not until she has to sit in the small meeting room with the people in her group that she feels eyes on her. Everyone in the room is a beta, but they can still tell that the distinctly omega smell is coming from her direction.

Thankfully, everyones heads turn to the door when their boss, Mr. Ruben, who happens to be the only alpha at the company, walks in the room. He pauses at the door and looks over the room before walking up to the white board on the wall. He details the next project they need to work on and divvies up the labor. When he dismisses them, everyone gathers their things to leave.

"Miss Langdon?" her boss calls out before she gets through the door.

Chuck turns back around and approaches him, unsure of why he would want to talk to her.

He runs his hand over his hair, cut in a stylish undercut. He doesn't exactly look like your typical software guy, well dressed in a button up and blazer. At over six feet tall and quite muscular, he's an imposing figure, too. Not to mention his piercing blue eyes and jet black hair complete with a full beard.

"You must be all better," he says with a smile.

Chuck isn't sure what he means. "Better?"

"Last month. When you were hospitalized."

"Oh, yeah." She giggles. "I'm all better."

"Good. I'd hate to lose one of the best coders I have." He takes a step closer. "If you ever need anything," he digs out a business card from his inner jacket pocket and hands it to her, "give me a call. That's my personal number." He sets his other hand on her shoulder. "I mean it, Charlotte. Don't hesitate to call."

At this close proximity, she can take in his scent. It's good...ish. It's not _bad_. It just doesn't have that special... thing that maybe some other alphas have. Like one alpha in particular.

"Thank you Mr. Ruben. And you can call me 'Chuck'." She tucks the card into her pocket and gives her boss a friendly smile.

"Okay, Chuck. You can call me 'Eldritch'."

When Chuck gets back to her building later that day, Negan is in the lobby at the mailboxes.

"Look who it is," Negan teases. "I haven't seen you in for-fuckin'-ever. I thought you might be avoiding me."

Chuck giggles, those butterflies she's been trying to keep at bay coming back full force. "No," she fibs. "You know me. I'm a hermit." She shrugs a shoulder.

"Well, you could give a guy a complex." He shuts his mailbox and starts to walk with Chuck to the elevator. When they fall into stride next to one another, Negan swears he can smell another alpha on her. "Where were you today?" he asks as casually as he can, managing to suppress the growl that is threatening to escape from his throat.

Chuck doesn't notice the subtle change in Negan's attitude. "Work."

They get to the elevator and Negan pushes the button. "Good day?"

She shrugs. "It was normal. What about your day? Sell a lot of cars?"

"A few." The elevator arrives and they walk in. "You got plans for dinner tonight?"

Chuck looks up at Negan, wresting with what her answer should be. Of course, now that she's so close to him again, she wants nothing more that to have dinner with him. But should she really do it?

"No," she answers meekly. "I was thinking about getting a pizza from Fulci's."

"That sounds fuckin' great," he replies, accepting an invitation that wasn't given. "My place or yours?"

"Uh..." the doors open on their floor and they exit. "Mine, I guess."

"Seven sound good?"

"Yeah."

"I'll pick the pizza up." Negan unlocks his door and opens it.

"No. I can-"

He turns back around and cuts her off. "I got it sweetheart. See you at seven." He closes his door, leaving Chuck confused in the hallway.

Negan is aware that he was being pushy, but he just couldn't help it. After their first dinner, he thought he had an in with the omega next door. He didn't want to make the first move, so he waited for her. He really expected her to come to him. But then, he hadn't seen her in a few days. It was a blow to his ego. Then smelling another alpha on her, even if it was faint, had him overreacting.

Chuck, on the other hand, really doesn't think too deeply about the motives behind Negan's behavior. She's mostly just thinking about how she can keep herself in check around him. He has such an effect on her now and she doesn't quite understand it, having never felt anything like it before. Is it just an omega/alpha thing? Or is it just a man/woman thing? She pretty much has zero experience with either situation.

Whatever it is, Chuck's pretty sure she's out of her league. She just hopes that she doesn't embarrass herself in front of him. Or ruin whatever they're building.

Dinner that night goes really well. They joke a lot and talk casually. And Chuck is really surprised at how relaxed it is. Yes, she still gets those butterflies, but it's more pleasant than anxiety inducing.

When Chuck comes back out from using the restroom, she finds Negan standing in front of the bookcase in her living room. When he turns to her, she sees that he has a book in his hands.

He holds the book up a little. "This is well worn."

"Yeah," she answers, then gently takes the book from his hands. "It's my favorite."

"You have good taste. Lord of the Rings is the shit."

Chuck giggles. "You've read it?"

"Fuck yeah, I have."

"You don't seem like a fantasy kinda guy."

"I read a lot when I was a kid." He taps the book in Chuck's hands. "This was my fuckin' favorite, too."

"My dad used to read it to me before I went to bed. This book was his from when he was a kid." Chuck runs her hand over the worn cover of the hardback.

"He passed?" Negan asks gently.

Chuck nods.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart."

She shrugs a shoulder to downplay her feelings. "I was a kid. It was years ago."

"Doesn't make it suck any less."

Chuck nods as she looks up at him with her big green eyes, trying to push back the urge to seek comfort from him. At the same time, Negan loses his internal fight whether to comfort her or not. He steps forward and wraps his arms around her. Chuck lets him.

She had never been a hugger. Only her mom and her uncle, pretty much. But this hug with Negan feels like nothing she's ever experienced before. His scent is so comforting, but also exciting, even if Chuck wouldn't admit it. His long arms around her made her feel like nothing could ever hurt her, like he could fight off armies barehanded just to protect her.

Having Chuck in his arms affects Negan in the way he expected. Feeling her pressed up against him, of course, has lust filled images flooding his brain. But there's also an unexpected warmth seeping into his chest, which is something he hasn't felt in a long time.

The intensity of it all scares both of them and after a few moments, they pull away from each other.

"You okay, baby girl?"

Chuck nods. "Yeah. Sorry." She giggles nervously.

"Don't apologize," he says gently.

The next week, Chuck and Negan see each other at least a little bit every day. The first day, Negan comes over while Chuck is playing a video game.

"So what's this called?" Negan asks from his seat beside Chuck on her couch.

"Grand Theft Auto. Five."

"There are five of these?"

Chuck laughs. "Actually there's more than that."

"So what's the point of this shit?"

"Crime, pretty much." She giggles. "You do missions for people where you steal things or kill people. Or you can just drive around forever."

"Holy shit. Is that a strip club?"

Chuck giggles. "Yeah. You want me to go inside?"

"You can?!"

She thinks his shock funny. "You can get lap dances."

"Fuck yes! Let's do this." He leans forward to see the screen better.

Chuck pulls Trevor's truck up to the strip club and gets out.

"Whoa, wait. Who's that?" Negan points to the screen.

"That's me. Well, that's _Trevor_."

"Shit. He looks like this guy I know. Only methy-er."

Chuck laughs. "Trevor is my favorite. This strip club is his, so all the strippers love him."

After showing Negan the strip club, including a private dance, and various other sites in San Andreas, Chuck hands the controller off to him so he can try his hand at it.

"Shit! Driving's fuckin' hard!" he exclaims as he sends his car straight into a building. "Oh, fuck. I killed a pedestrian."

"Yeah. They tend to get in the way."

"Ooo. Can I take the motorcycle?"

Chuck laughs at his enthusiasm. "Yeah. But they can be harder to drive than the cars."

Negan pretty much immediately crashes into a car head on and flys off the motorcycle, killing Trevor instantly. "Shit. This is a long fuckin' way from Pac-Man."

"I suppose." Chuck laughs.

Another day, Chuck and Negan spend a few hours sitting on Negan's couch discussing books. They actually have very similar tastes when it comes to them. They both share a love for fantasy books as well as science fiction. Chuck also tells Negan about her love of mystery books, though he admits that he's never really read any. And Negan has read quite a few books on espionage that Chuck never really had an interest in.

They spent hours getting to know each other, what their interests are, little tidbits about their pasts, their hobbies. Chuck learns that Negan loves classic cars. Negan learns that Chuck knits. Though Negan knows that the alpha part of him just wants to knot this girl, there's still a part of him that genuinely likes her. Even if he won't admit that maybe the thought of having a relationship with her would be nice.

But, still, he doesn't want to push her into anything sexual. Through the things she's told him and how she acts, he knows that she's shy and inexperienced with men. Especially alphas. He also knows that if he wanted, he could convince her to go to bed with him, probably pretty easily. But he doesn't want to _convince_ her. He wants her to want him. He wants her to _choose_ him, all on her own.

Though Chuck is genuinely enjoying her time with Negan, she doesn't mention it to her mother, which is actually pretty strange for her. She would normally tell Diane everything, but for some reason, she keeps this to herself. Part of the reason is that she doesn't want to jinx it by telling anyone. If she tells her mom that Negan is her friend, then he flakes on her, it would make her feel so much worse. Then, of course, there's the fact that Diane had told Chuck that she didn't trust Negan. If her mom knew that she was spending so much time with Negan, she would probably chew her out and say she was disappointed in her.

But also, Chuck keeps it all to herself because she's still trying to work out exactly what she's feeling. She's smart enough to know that there is a purely physical component; Negan's scent affects her so much more than any other alphas' because they're more genetically compatible. But there is the way he makes her feel emotionally, too. He makes her laugh. And she likes making him laugh. Even so, she's too afraid to really indulge in those feelings. And she is miles away from even considering sleeping with him.

Throughout the whole week, Negan thinks it best not to bring a woman home. Not that he isn't hooking up with anyone, he just doesn't take them to his apartment. He doesn't exactly rationalize the decision in his head, but it's obviously for Chuck's sake. Whether it's a service to her because she hates the noise, or if it's so she'll think he's more available for her is a toss up.

Chuck wakes up fairly early one morning feeling strange. Well, it isn't _completely_ strange, she's feeling the same way she did the day she presented.

"Oh no," she groans to herself.

It's only been two months since her presentation, but she's fairly certain that she is going to start her first heat. She jumps out of bed and goes into her bathroom to take her thermometer out of the medicine cabinet. The pamphlets Dr. Bailey given her had said that heats begin with a low grade fever. When she takes the thermometer out of her mouth and it says 99.9, she knows her fears are confirmed.

She takes a deep breath to calm herself and pulls out her phone, but she's hesitant to dial any numbers. Should she contact one of the alphas through the Alpha For You app? Or should she talk to Dr. Bailey to set up a room for her in the hospital.

 _There's another option._ A voice in her head reminds her.

Is it an option, though? Is she really ready to have sex with Negan? She's spent so long knowing that physical love would never be a part of her life that it seems like she needs more time to accept that she can actually experience it.

Not that sleeping with Negan would be like _love_. They're definitely not at that stage, yet. But it would certainly be more intimate than with an alpha for hire that she had only talked to for about an hour.

Having made her decision, Chuck dials Dr. Bailey's number. The doctor tells Chuck that she will inform the hospital to expect Chuck's arrival in the next hour or so. Chuck is very happy that there is no judgement in the friendly doctor's tone, having worried that she might be disappointed that Chuck didn't want to use an alpha.

Next, Chuck leaves a message for her mother, knowing that she's at work right now and can't answer her phone. Then she calls her landlords to tell them she'll be gone for a few days.

Finally, she calls her boss. Since he had given her his personal number, that's the one she uses. When she says that she will need to take a few more sick days, he accepts it quickly, saying that he knows she will get caught up on her work in no time.

"Okay," she says to herself. "This is no big deal. I'm just gonna be put to sleep for a few days." She shakes her head. "Yeah, that's normal."

She packs her backpack with one outfit, toothbrush, and hairbrush for when she's discharged from the hospital and leaves her apartment. When she turns out of her doorway, she sees Negan halfway down the hallway. He hears Chuck's door, so he turns back to her.

"What are you doing up so early, sweetheart?" he calls out.

Chuck walks down the hallway to meet him. "I'm going on a little trip," she lies. For some reason, she doesn't want Negan to know that she's going into heat.

Negan would have normally seen through her lie, but he's running late today and he hates not being on time, so his mind is elsewhere. They get in the elevator and Negan presses the ground floor.

Despite Chuck's oncoming heat, Negan doesn't notice anything different. Consciously, anyway. His body has definitely picked up on the subtle pheromones, though. Soon enough, there's going to be a storm raging within him.

Negan ends up getting to work on time, but by the end of the day, he wishes he had just called off. Everyone seems to get on his nerves, from his boss to the customers. He ends up only making two sales, too, so it was hardly worth his time.

It isn't until Negan starts to walk down the hall to his apartment that he recalls his brief conversation with the omega next door. He had hoped to cook her dinner tonight to continue to get closer to her. It all had been going well, with Chuck warming to him bit by bit. If he can continue to stay in her good graces, when her heat comes, she may just ask him to get her through it.

As Negan unlocks his door, he puts two and two together.

"Shit," he mutters under his breath. "She lied."

He throw his keys on his desk and kicks off his shoes. The omega next door was most likely starting her heat. That's why she left. At first, he's relieved. He had read that omegas with her condition could go through their heats in a hospital, if an alpha is unavailable. Since alpha whores always do their thing in the client's house (at least that's what Negan assumes), she's probably gone to the hospital.

Some strange alpha isn't going to pop his knot in her.

But as he's changing out of his work clothes, he realizes that not only did Chuck not ask him to help her through her heat, she lied to him about _having_ her heat. She didn't even want him to _know_ about it. And that pisses him off.

With Chuck gone for a few days, Negan decides to head to the bar and hopefully find a woman to bring back home to maybe get him out of his bad mood. As soon as he walks into the bar Simon starts to pour Negan's usual.

"Get me a beer, too," Negan calls out as he takes his seat.

Simon sets the bourbon in front of Negan and turns to grab Negan a beer. "One of those days, huh?"

"Yup." Negan downs the drink and puts the glass back down on the bar. "Another."

Simon sets the beer beside the glass and brings the liquor bottle up to refill Negan's drink.

Negan takes a drink of the beer as Simon pours the bourbon. As soon as Simon pulls the bottle away, Negan downs the drink again.

"Keep 'em coming," Negan growls.

Simon takes a good look at Negan for the first time since he walked in. "Shit," he mutters. "Give me the beer."

"What?"

"Come on man, give me back the beer."

Negan is starting to get angry. "Why?"

"You know why."

"I _don't_ fuckin' know why."

"You gotta get outta here, man."

"You're fuckin' shutting me off?! I just got here!"

"You're in rut, Negan! I can't fuckin' serve you if I wanted to."

"I'm not in fuckin' rut!" Negan hadn't had a rut for over a decade. Not since before his mate died. And he's not exactly a newly turned alpha that can't control himself. Him going into rut is something that he wouldn't have expected.

Negan starts to look around at the people around him. They're all completely silent, watching what's going to happen next. And they all look scared. They know an alpha in rut can be dangerous. It makes Negan take stock of himself and the way he's feeling.

 _Shit. I'm going into fuckin' rut._ he admits to himself.

"Come on, Negan. I don't wanna have to force you out," Simon pleads.

Negan pushes the beer towards the bartender and gets his wallet out. "Fine. Just sell me the bottle of Beam and I'll fuckin' leave." If he's gonna be going through his rut alone, he'd sooner just drink until he passes out.

"I fuckin' can't Negan. I could lose my liquor license."

"What? Why the fuck...?"

"It's illegal to sell alcohol to an alpha in rut. They passed a law like five years ago."

"Goddamnit!" He lets out a huff. "Fine," he hisses out and throws a twenty on the bar for the drinks. "Any of you women wanna fuck an alpha in rut?" he calls out to the whole bar. When no one answers, he starts to leave. "Didn't fuckin' think so," he says to himself.

When he gets back home, he calls work to leave a message that he won't be coming in for a few days because he's gone into rut. It's widely accepted that alphas in rut shouldn't be around the general public. At best, they're jerks and at worst, they're dangerous. No matter what, his boss wouldn't want him there until his rut passes. Thankfully, alphas don't receive much blowback for missed days due to rut.

Unfortunately for Negan, his plan to get blackout drunk to get through his rut is quickly derailed. He happens to be just about out of alcohol at home and now he knows that no one will sell him any. Instead, he just goes to bed and hopes his rut isn't too bad.

When he wakes up the next day, he really starts to feel the affects of his raging hormones. First it's hunger. He eats pretty much everything he has in his cupboards. Then, he feels like he wants to head outside and punch the first person he sees in the face. But, of course, he doesn't do that. He can control himself enough to suppress the violent urges that ruts can bring.

Later on in the day comes the urge to fuck anything he can. Since he has no omega, and beta women typically don't want to be with alphas in rut (unless they're particularly adventurous), his hand will have to do.

The next day, he's so miserable he can barely take it anymore. Jerking off only sates him for a few minutes, then he's right back to full mast. It's making him go out of his mind not being able to have what he wants.

Unsure of what to do and with his more rational brain taking a sideline, Negan leaves his apartment dressed only in his boxers and stomps over to Chuck's door. He knows she's not there, but he's not exactly thinking straight. He sniffs at the air and the faint scent coming from under the door soothes him slightly. Kneeling down on his knees, he puts his nose right at the crack of the door and breathes in deeply.

"Fuck," he breathes out as he scent seems to permeate through his veins.

He stays there for a few minutes, but it's just not enough. He needs more. He straightens back up and tries to open the door, but it's locked of course.

"Goddamnit," he growls. He's just about ready to knock the door down when his rational brain perks up momentarily with a better idea.

Sheila and Bill are just sitting down for dinner when there's a pounding on their door.

Sheila stands from her seat. "I'll get it." She walks to her door and opens it.

Negan immediately thrusts his hand out, palm up. "Keys," he demands gruffly.

She takes in the sight of him, dressed in his underwear, erection prominent, sweat soaked skin, hair disheveled. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's wrong with him.

"Keys!" he demands again. "I need in Chuck's apartment."

Bill comes up from behind Sheila and sets his master key in Negan's palm.

Sheila looks back to her husband. "We can't-"

"The girl's not there," he cuts in. "If he does any damage to her apartment, we'll bill him."

When Negan finally gets into the apartment next door, he lets out a sigh of relief. Being in her space, with her scent surrounding him gives him some comfort. But it's still not enough.

He stomps into Chuck's bedroom and pulls down the comforter on her bed. To Negan's chagrin, they mostly smell like detergent, though. She happened to have just washed her sheets the night before she left, so she only slept in them once.

"Fuck," he hisses. It's not enough.

He opens up her closet and finds her hamper full of dirty clothes.

"Mmm," he growls at the scent coming off of the clothing. He plunges his hands in the hamper and pulls out about half of the clothes, carrying them out to the bed and throwing them down on the sheets. He rids himself of his underwear and climbs onto the bed, curling the omega scented clothing all around him.

He immediately starts to fist his cock in search of some relief. It doesn't take long for him to get that release. Though the omega's scent surrounding him keeps him sated for longer, he still starts to get hard again within the hour. He shuffles around the clothing surrounding him and finds a pair of underwear.

Without thought, Negan pulls the garment to his face and breathes in deep. Omegas have scent glands located in their groins, so this particular piece of clothing is more saturated in her scent. And it smells better than anything Negan has smelled before in his whole life.

He can't help but snake his tongue out from between his lips to try to taste that delicious scent. Still, he wants more. He starts to suck and bite at the cloth as he rocks his hips into the pile of clothes on the bed.

Vaguely, somewhere deep in his mind, he realizes that he's crossing a line. But his rational brain is buried so far under his alpha instincts that he just can't stop. He doesn't think about the consequences or what he's going to do after his rut is over. And he certainly doesn't think about how he would explain all of this to Chuck.

The next morning, Chuck's heat abates and she's discharged from the hospital. Dr. Bailey notifies Diane that Chuck is ready to go home, so she drives her car to Chuck's apartment and catches a bus to the hospital.

"I'll drive you home, sweetie," Diane says to her daughter as she gathers up her things from the hospital room.

"Yeah, I don't really feel like driving."

"My car's at your building. We can go there so you can pack a bag to come to my house."

"I think I can stay home," Chuck comments. "I really don't feel as bad as I did last time."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'm not really that groggy. Just a little tired."

Diane isn't sure she should let her daughter recover by herself. "Are you sure?"

Chuck lets out a laugh. "Yes, Mom. I'll be fine. I just want to eat something and then nap a little bit."

"Alright, sweetie."

After stopping off at a McDonald's for a quick lunch, Diane and Chuck make their way back to Chuck's apartment. When Chuck puts the key in the hole, she realizes that her deadbolt isn't locked.

Chuck turns back to her mother. "My door's unlocked. I know I locked it."

Diane is confused for a moment, but she reacts pretty quickly. "Get behind me." She digs through her purse to find her little can of pepper spray. "Get your phone out and get ready to call the cops."

Chuck does as she's told, falling in line behind her mother with her phone in her hand.

Diane takes a deep breath before slamming the door open and stomping in with her can of pepper spray raised high. "Whoever's in here, get out!" she yells.

Negan jumps up from where he was sleeping on Chuck's couch. At some point during his rut, Chuck's bed had started to smell too much like him, so he took the rest of her dirty clothes and laid with them out on her couch. With his rut passed, everything he had done during it floods back to him. He looks down at his naked self, then to the couch covered with clothing, then up to the two very shocked faces of Chuck and her mother.

When Chuck finally processes that she's staring at naked Negan, she covers her eyes and turns her head away.

Diane, however, is fuming. "Call the cops, Chuck!"

"No, wait!" Negan grabs some of the clothes from the couch and covers himself with them in one hand. "I can explain."

"Chuck, call the cops!" Diane commands again.

Without uncovering her eyes, Chuck responds. "Why don't we hear him out?"

"Hear him-?" Diane shakes her head. "He's naked in your apartment, Charlotte!"

"I was in rut!" He yells. "I saw her," he points to Chuck, "the day she left and I went into fuckin' rut that night."

Diane stares at Negan, anxious at what that news means. Young alphas can go into rut when they are around any omega in heat. But Negan is older, and should be able to control his urges. The only other time Alphas go into rut is when their mates start their heat. Chuck and Negan certainly aren't mated, so there must be another explanation. And that explanation is something Diane doesn't even want to consider.

It's said that there can be an alpha and omega so genetically compatible that they are considered "true mates". That is, there can be no one else on earth more compatible with them than each other. And once these true mates meet, their cycles will sync even if they haven't mated.

"Chuck, wait outside," Diane says to her daughter without removing her gaze from Negan.

"Mom-"

"Outside, Charlotte!" Diane demands.

Chuck obeys her mother and leaves her apartment, never raising her head.

"Put some clothes on," Diane commands to Negan.

Negan nods and goes into Chuck's bedroom to quickly put on his boxers. When he comes back out to the living room, Diane immediately lays into him.

"I _knew_ you would go after her. I _told_ you to stay away from her!" Diane pokes at Negan's chest to punctuate her point.

He just steps away, not wanting to actually do anything to this woman. "Yeah, well, I didn't stay away," he says simply. "And she didn't exactly push me away, either."

"Did you sleep with my daughter?!"

Negan leans into Diane's space. "You think if I did, she'd've had her fuckin' heat in the hospital!"

She takes a step back from him, not wanting to provoke the alpha. "Stay away from Chuck," she says more calmly.

He looks right into Diane's eyes. "I tried."

She swallows hard. "Try harder."

"You think this is all on me? I went into _rut_ because of her." He points toward the door.

"Don't blame this on her."

"I haven't had a rut in fuckin' years. And then she goes into heat and fuckin' _leaves_ me! I tried _everything_ I fuckin' could to get her to be with me for her heat. I did every-fuckin'-thing right, but she still didn't fuckin' choose me. _That's_ why I went into rut. _That's_ why I had to be here in her scent or I would've gone fuckin' insane."

Diane stares at him for a minute, breathing heavily as she processes what he has said. "Chuck is _not_ your mate. She will _never_ be your mate. You are _not_ good enough for her, Negan. You hear me? You would _ruin_ her life."

The memory of Lucille's father's words resonate in Negan's mind. _You broke my little girl's heart. You ruined her life, Negan._

He drops his head and nods, suddenly defeated. "You're right," he agrees quietly. "I'm not good enough for her."

Chuck is sweet, smart, innocent. And naive. Exactly the kind of woman he would never go after because he _knows_ she's good. She deserves love and loyalty. She would expect it, but Negan isn't sure if he's even capable of that anymore.

Negan lets out a sigh. "I'll wash all this shit." He starts to gather the dirty clothes that he's soiled even more. When his hand goes over a pair of Chuck's underwear, he actually feels shame over what he did.

"No," Diane walks over to him. "I'll wash it."

Negan grabs the underwear quickly and balls them up in his hand, hoping Diane wouldn't notice.

But she does. "What are you doing?" She grabs at his hand but he pulls it away. "Give me it," she says more forcefully.

"I'll buy her more."

Diane scrunches up her face. "I can still call the cops, you pervert."

Negan looks down in shame and hands the ruined garment to Diane.

Diane thought that Negan wanted to keep the underwear for the scent, but the ashamed look on his face and the state of the article tells her that's not the case. It's obvious from the little holes and rips that Negan had chewed on the clothing.

Diane lets out a heavy breath. Knowing that Negan got so worked up over her daughter is something that she really would have rather never known about. "Don't tell Chuck about any of this. I don't want her to know what you were doing in here."

"I think she's gonna fuckin' figure it out, Diane. She's a goddamn adult."

"She's not..." Diane isn't sure of exactly how she wants to say this, "she's not like me and you. She's not savvy about the world. Or people. That's why I have to look out for her. So I'm telling you again, I _will not_ let you hurt my daughter. If I have to drag her out of this building kicking and screaming to get her away from you, I will."

Negan wants to fight back. He wants to tell her that he'll do whatever he wants and that she can't stop him. But the shame and guilt that have taken up residence in his chest have him backing down.

"Okay," he says quietly. "I'll leave her alone." He walks over to the door to leave, but sees it's already ajar. When he opens it and walks out into the hallway, he sees Chuck standing right by the door, cheeks red and tear stained.

Unbeknownst to Negan or Diane, Chuck had listened in on everything that they had said. What Chuck heard, or rather, how she interpreted what she heard, is that Negan had only been nice to her because he wanted to have sex with her. And that her mother thinks she's a stupid little girl that can't make her own decisions.

She stares at Negan for a few moments before she turns away from him and runs down the hallway toward the elevator. Negan fights the urge to call out to her, thinking that it really is for the best that he stays away from her. As he watches her get into the elevator, he thinks that she will find a mate eventually, an actual mate that doesn't just want to pop his knot in her. A mate her own age that will treat her right. A mate that won't step out on her or be selfish. A mate so much better than him.

Despite those thoughts, Negan can't help but walk down the hallway after her, like his body is moving on its own accord. But he's not fast enough. The doors close before he gets to them.


	5. Part 5

Chuck rushes outside and into her car parked in the lot behind her building. The events of the morning have left her upset. Not only was she shocked by finding a naked Negan in her apartment, but what she learned by hearing the conversation between him and her mom was almost just as shocking.

Chuck heard her mother say that she told Negan to stay away from her, which she did not know about. And it doesn't really sit well with her. She feels like her mother went behind her back to manipulate her life without getting any input from her in the first place. Her mother also told Negan that she had to protect Chuck from the world. Chuck took that as meaning that her mother thinks she's stupid and naive, when in reality, her mother really just wants what's best for her daughter. Even though Chuck doesn't think so, her mother's assessment that Chuck can be unworldly is actually true. And Diane definitely didn't mean any harm with what she said.

It's Negan's words that keep bouncing around in Chuck's mind, though. She had been enjoying her time hanging out with Negan recently and she thought that they were genuinely getting closer. Not necessarily in a romantic way, but at least in a friendly way. Then what he said cut to her core. He said that he had been trying to get Chuck to choose him for her heat. But was that his only reason for being nice to her? Was he just doing what he thought she wanted to get her to agree to have sex with him? Chuck is leaning that way.

 _Of course he wouldn't really want me. No one's ever wanted me before, so why would it be any different now? Negan's alpha side is just wanting my omega side. He'd never actually cared about me._

Chuck starts her car, but doesn't know where to go. She really doesn't want to be around Negan or her mother right at the moment, so she decides to go to the only other place she really can, her Uncle Aaron's house. He lives just outside of the suburbs with his husband Eric in a house out in the woods. He had always been close with Chuck throughout her whole life, turning more into a father figure after her own father had died. Then when Eric came into the picture, he quickly adopted Chuck as his family, too.

Chuck dials her uncle's number and waits for him to answer.

After three rings, he does. " _Hey, Chucky._ "

"Hey," she greets back with a small voice.

He picks up on her emotional state immediately. " _What's wrong?_ "

"Nothing," she answers. "Can I stay at your house tonight?"

" _What's wrong, sweetie?_ " he presses.

"It's a long story." She hopes that he'll just accept that and move on.

Aaron knows Chuck well enough to know that when she's upset, she really doesn't like to talk about it. So whatever has her wanting to stay at his house for the night, must've really affected her.

" _Okay, Chucky. Of course you can stay with me and Eric. But we're out of town right now. We won't be back until after dinner._ "

"Oh." Chuck let's out a sigh.

" _You still have our key, right? You can just let yourself in._ "

"Yeah, I still have it."

" _I'll pick up something for you to eat when we get back._ "

"Okay. Thanks, Uncle Aaron."

After she hangs up, she leaves the parking lot and heads out of the city.

At the same time, Diane is still in Chuck's apartment. Right after Negan had left, Diane set out to clean up the mess he had made in her daughter's apartment. She found some dish gloves near Chuck's sink and gathered up all of the dirty clothes and bed linens to pile them in Chuck's hamper.

It's when she brings the hamper back out to the living room to head to the laundry room downstairs that she realizes that Chuck never came back in. She takes the gloves off and throws the gloves on the hamper, opening the door a moment later to look out in the hall. Chuck's not there. And Diane thinks she knows where she is.

She stomps across the hall to Negan's door and pounds on it. "Open up, Negan!" she yells.

It takes a minute, but Negan answers the door in just a towel with his hair dripping all over the place. "What the fuck? I just got out of the shower!"

"Where is she?" Diane pushes past Negan into his apartment and starts to look around.

He turns away from the door to follow the woman as she searches his home. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Diane suddenly turns back to Negan. "Where's Chuck?"

"How the fuck should I know?"

"She was out in the hall when you left and now she's gone."

"She fuckin' left!" He yells back, fully sick of the beta's tone. "As soon as I fuckin' came out she ran down the goddamn hallway into the elevator."

Diane doesn't look convinced. It's not like Chuck to just run off.

"Continue to check the fuckin' house, if you want," Negan bites back sarcastically.

When Diane does just that and starts to check his bedroom, Negan lets out a huff and follows her. She continues into his bathroom, pulling the curtain back on his shower to check there. When she comes back out and opens his closet door, Negan can't take it anymore.

"What the fuck do you think I'd do? Have her locked up in my fuckin' closet?! She's not here, you crazy bitch!"

Diane flips around to face him. "I don't know what you'd do! You're an _alpha_! God only knows what you're capable of!"

Negan is getting seriously pissed off with this beta. But what she said has a little bit of hurt bubbling up inside him. Does she really think he's the kind of man that would do something to Chuck?

"I would _never_ fuckin' hurt her," he responds with conviction. "I'm not a fucking monster, despite what you think about fuckin' alphas."

Diane huffs a breath out of her flared nostrils. Her instincts are telling her that he's not lying, but that part of her that would do anything to protect her daughter doesn't want to give up that easily. Regardless, the fact still remains that Chuck is not here. She must've been embarrassed enough by everything that she wanted to be alone, Diane figures.

"Fine," Diane spits out and turns to leave his apartment. When she gets back to Chuck's, she pulls out her phone to text her daughter. She gets a quick auto response saying that Chuck is driving. Deciding not to bother her while she's behind the wheel, she continues on with her task of carrying the laundry downstairs to wash.

As Diane waits for the first load to wash, she calls her brother on a hunch.

" _Hello_ ," he answers.

"Hello. Is Chuck with you?"

" _She's at my house, but I'm not there yet._ "

Diane lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good."

" _Is she okay? She didn't tell me anything, but I could tell something was bothering her._ "

"Her asshole alpha neighbor went into rut while she had her heat and broke into her apartment. When we walked in, he was completely naked surrounded by all of Chuck's dirty clothes."

" _Did you call the police?_ "

"No."

" _Why not? He's obviously dangerous. That must be why Chuck doesn't want to be home. She's afraid of him._ "

"I don't think she's afraid of him. I think they might've been seeing each other." Diane lets out a sigh, recalling what Negan had said to her. "Or at least talking to each other. Chuck didn't tell me about it."

" _Chuck wouldn't-_ " Aaron knows that Chuck is very close with her mother and typically doesn't keep stuff from her. But maybe presenting as omega is changing her in someway. Or maybe it's Negan's doing. " _I don't like this_ _ **Negan.**_ _He's manipulating, Chucky._ "

"I don't like him, either. And his rut syncing with her heat..." She shakes her head at the thought. "I'm just hoping this is a one time fluke and not, you know."

" _True mates_ ," Aaron completes the thought.

"Yeah," Diane responds. "Just talk to her when you get home. And send her back here. I'll be waiting."

" _She wants to stay the night._ "

"Really?" she sighs. "Fine. Just make sure she's okay."

" _I will._ "

After the first load buzzes in the dryer about an hour later, Diane pulls her phone out and texts Chuck again. This time, it goes through, so Diane knows Chuck is at Aaron's.

Chuck doesn't reply, though. She just sets her phone down on the couch beside her at her uncle's empty house and turns her attention back to the tv. The whole point of her going to Aaron's is because she just wants to have a few moments to herself to really process everything that happened. Not only is she still milling over the thoughts she had about what Negan and her mother had said, but there is also the fact that Negan went into rut because of her heat.

Chuck knows about ruts. A little bit, anyway. She had learned about them in her health class back in high school. And people are more free to talk about ruts than they are to talk about heats, so she knows that alphas in rut can get possessive and violent. As well as... amorous.

The thought makes a blush rise to Chuck's cheeks. She knows what Negan was probably doing in her apartment. Especially since he was naked in there. But it's not like she _exactly_ knows what he was doing. She knows all about anatomy and masturbation and all that, but she's never actually _seen_ a man jerking off before. Actually, Negan is the first naked man she's ever seen in person. Sure, she's seen naked men before in the few tv shows and movies that have full frontal, but she's never been in the same room as a naked man before today.

Chuck's phone goes off again. She figures it's from her mom, but when she lifts the phone up to check, she sees that it's actually from her boss, Eldritch.

" _I just wanted to check in to see how you're feeling. I hope you're doing better._ "

Chuck is confused initially. Eldritch had never texted her before. But then she remembers how he had been so nice in giving her his personal number. So despite that she really wants to be left alone right at this moment, she feels like it would be rude to ignore her boss. And she doesn't want to be rude to the man that could fire her.

" _I'm doing a lot better. Thanks for asking. I'll get back to work tomorrow to get caught up._ " She sends the text, hoping it's nice and professional enough.

" _I know you'll make your work up, but don't rush to. Your health is all that matters, so if you need extra time, you can take it._ "

His seemingly caring words make Chuck smile. All she can think is that her boss is so supportive of his employees that he's personally checking in on one. It never even crosse her mind that he might have an ulterior motive.

Before she can text back, her phone chimes again.

" _If you need anything, I want you to call me. It doesn't matter what time, I'll be there for you._ "

" _That's so nice! Thank you, Mr. Ruben._ "

" _You're welcome, Miss Charlotte. ;)_ "

"Did he just send me a winky face?" she says aloud. Then she remembers the conversation at work where she told him to call her 'Chuck' and he said to call him 'Eldritch'. So she takes it as him making a joke.

A little while later, Aaron and Eric come in bearing a to go bag from McDonalds. After Chuck eats her burger and fries, Aaron sits down with her in the living room.

"You wanna talk about it?"

Chuck shrugs a shoulder.

"Your mom called me."

Chuck lets out a little sigh. "Should I be expecting her, then."

Aaron shakes his head. "No. I told her you were fine here. But... She told me about Negan."

"Great," she mutters sarcastically.

"I take that to mean that you don't want to talk about it."

She shrugs.

"Is it because Negan was... you know, naked and...?" Aaron is trying to think of a way to politely describe what Negan was doing during his rut.

"It's not that," she answers before it gets any more awkward. "I overheard Negan and my mom talking. She told him I'm not like normal people. That she has to protect me because I don't know the world. She made it seem like I'm some mentally handicapped person."

"You know that's not what she meant," Aaron is quick to say. "She's your mom and, yeah, she gets protective. But she loves you."

Chuck nods. "I know she means well. But it still made me feel stupid. And like she doesn't respect me as an adult."

"Of course she respects you. But... you're always gonna be her little girl. My mother was the same way with both of us. I swear whenever we would eat, she'd say, 'Make sure you chew that up good,' even though we were both in our twenties." He chuckles at the memory.

Chuck laughs a little, too, and nods. "I guess."

"So you're just upset with your mom?"

Chuck shrugs. "Negan, too." She takes a deep breath. "We were actually getting along. He was being really nice to me and I thought we were becoming friends. But then he told Mom that he just wanted me to be with him for my heat. So it was all a lie. I guess I should've known better."

"Negan's an asshole. I've seen men like him before. He's a user, a manipulator. Selfish. Don't feel bad that he got to you. Be thankful that he didn't get what he wanted." Aaron lays his hand on Chuck's shoulder. "Just forget about him. Stay away from him."

Chuck drops her head and nods. "Maybe that's for the best."

"And, you know, we have an extra room here. Your mom does, too, if you decide to move out."

"I don't want to move away from him," Chuck blurts out before thinking.

Aaron just stares at her, shocked at the Freudian slip. Now all he can think about is what Diane said. And he prays that it doesn't mean that Chuck and Negan are actually true mates. He's never met the man, but from what Diane has told him, he doesn't care for his niece's alpha neighbor.

Chuck is just as shocked at her words, too. "I mean, I don't want to leave my building," she clarifies.

Aaron nods. "Well, just remember that you'll always have a place here."

"I know, Uncle Aaron."

When Chuck gets back home the next day, she sees that her mom had cleaned up her apartment. All of her clothes are clean, folded, and put away. Her bedding is also clean and her bed is made in the neat way her mom always did it.

Chuck lets out a sigh and pulls her phone from her pocket. She suddenly feels bad for being unappreciative of her mother, considering she did all this for her. Going into her texts, she composes one to her mom telling her she's home and thanking her for cleaning up.

When Diane gets the text, she immediately calls her daughter. She's off work today, so she has the time to talk.

"Hello?" Chuck answers.

" _Hello, sweetie_ ," Diane responds.

"Hey, Mom."

" _So, you're back home._ "

"Yeah. Thanks for doing my laundry."

" _You're welcome. Aaron called me last night and told me what you talked about_ ," Diane admits.

"I figured he would."

" _I understand why you were hurt, but... I didn't mean to upset you._ "

"I know."

" _And I don't think you're stupid, honey. But, you don't have a lot of experience with people. Especially someone like Negan._ "

"I know, Mom."

" _You shouldn't feel bad about it. You're just shy. It's who you are. And you're perfect the way you are. But everyone needs help in some way. Like when you have to explain what's going on in Game of Thrones because I can't wrap my head around all of it._ "

Chuck giggles. "Yeah. You never remember all the plots."

" _You just need a little nudge in the right direction when it comes to people sometimes._ "

"Yeah. I guess you're right. I should've told you about Negan. You could've told me it was a bad idea to get close to him."

" _It's all over now and you can just get on with your life. Don't let him get to you, okay._ "

"Okay, Mom."

Chuck actually feels better after her talk with Diane. Of course, she still has that self doubt that's plagued her her whole life. And it's really that self doubt that had her upset. But talking with her mom has calmed her down.

For the next several days, Chuck and Negan go back to avoiding each other like the plague. Despite her mother and uncle telling her it's for the best to stay away from Negan, she finds herself feeling more lonely than she ever has before. Even though she and Negan had only hung out together for a short time, she feels herself missing him. But then she remembers that Negan had tried to manipulate her and it just makes her loneliness grow.

At the same time, Negan is dealing with the fallout, too. He knows that he needs to stay away from her for her own good, but that doesn't mean that the pull toward her is any less intense. It's just that now when he feels it, he beats himself up about it.

And then there's what Chuck's mom had said to him. Normally, he didn't care what anyone thought about him. He's been called every name in the book and he's shrugged it off for the most part. But Diane saying that he isn't good enough to be Chuck's mate hit him hard. Mainly because he agrees with it.

He's good at a lot of things. Poker. Fixing up cars. Cooking. Chess. He was great at teaching and he's a pretty good car salesman now. But he was an utter failure at being a husband to his mate. At least that's what her family told him every chance they got. But he believed it when they said it, too. And him trying to deal with Diane's comment couldn't have come at a worse time. Because it's getting close to the anniversary of the worst day of his life.

One night, Chuck finds herself bored in her apartment, which isn't exactly a good thing. She tends to overthink things when she's bored. Tonight, it's about her inexperience with men.

Even though she has a valid excuse for her "late bloomer" status when it comes to sex, it's still embarrassing for her. Now that she's an omega, sex is going to be a big part of her life, especially if she doesn't want to have her heats in the hospital. And it's looking more and more like her first sexual experience is going to be with an alpha for hire, considering the one she kinda sorta thought might be "the one" turned out to be a pretty big jerk.

At least her alpha for hire prospects are all aware of her inexperience, so their expectations should be pretty low. She still wants to be prepared for that eventual reality. And that means research.

She sits on her couch in her comfy tank top and sleep shorts with her tablet in her hands looking at an informational sex ed website. It's all the clinical stuff that Chuck knows already, so it's really no help to her. But then, she has a thought. The internet happens to house a plethora of porn sites full of information for Chuck to research.

She finds out pretty quickly that it's illegal for omegas to appear in porn. Apparently, the exploitation of omegas in the sex industry got really bad in the late '80s, so the law had to step in, instituting harsh punishments for anyone caught pimping an omega or making a film with one.

That's all good news, showing that society is making strides to protect omegas. But it doesn't help Chuck to know more about sex between an alpha and an omega.

She watches all kids of beta porn, noting the positions, the sounds, the way the people look. There are even a few videos with alphas in them, but the sex is mostly the same as beta sex, since betas can't take a knot. The only real difference is that alphas are bigger than beta males. And they tend to cum a lot more. That's apparently a fetish, Chuck finds out. Then she finds a bunch of videos featuring alphas using toys that allow them to pop their knot, so she can see what all that entails. She's seen diagrams, but it's nothing like actually seeing it happen in real time.

As she watches these alphas pleasure themselves, she can't help but think about Negan. The way he looked standing naked in her apartment. The sounds he must've made as he pleasured himself like these alphas. His facial expression as he came.

Chuck shakes her head of the thoughts and puts her iPad down. She shouldn't think of Negan like that. It'll only end in heartbreak. That gets Chuck thinking about if she'll ever actually find someone to love her. Would anyone be able to accept her as she is? Or is she destined to be alone forever? Even worse, should she settle for an alpha that just wants her body and doesn't care about her as a person? That seems worse than being alone.

A few nights later, Negan walks into Simon's bar and sits down heavily on his usual seat. He's already called off tomorrow, so there's nothing holding him back from getting blackout drunk, which is exactly what he's planning on doing.

Simon had noticed a few years ago that Negan only gets this drunk once a year. From the bits and pieces he's gathered of Negan's life over the years, he figures this has to do with his former mate. When he tried to ask about it, though, Negan got violent, so that was the end of the conversation.

A few hours into his binge, Negan taps on his glass to get another.

Simon doesn't oblige, pulling the cup away instead. "That's enough, Negan. You can barely keep your damn eyes open."

Negan nods slowly. "Fine," he hisses.

"Is it that time?" Laura, the other bartender, asks Simon with a chuckle.

"Yeah," Simon answers. "Will you take his drunk ass home?"

"I always do, don't I." Laura comes around the bar and helps Negan up. She pretty much drags him to her car and drives him home. When they get there, she pulls him out of her car and gets him to the entrance of the building. "Can you get up to your apartment by yourself?"

"Yeah," he rasps and stumbles through the door. He manages to get up to his apartment, but when he tries to get his keys out, he stumbles backwards until his back hits an obstacle. He slides down it sit on the ground with his back resting on the flat wood that's now propping him up.

Chuck jumps when she hears something heavy hit her door. She carefully looks out of her peephole, but sees nothing. As soon as she turns the knob to open the door to investigate, a heavy weight pushes it open for her. Jumping back with a little shriek at the falling object, Chuck finally sees that it's a barely conscious Negan now laying flat on his back on her floor.

Negan groans in pain after his head hits the hard wood. "Fuck." His unfocused eyes see a vaguely feminine figure standing above him, but the scent hitting his nose tells him that it's Chuck. He's not too drunk to realize that. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he slurs out.

"You fell into my apartment," Chuck bites back.

"Shit." He tries to get up, but doesn't get very far and falls back down.

"Stop." Chuck leans down to help him. "You're gonna hurt yourself."

With Chuck's help, Negan gets to his feet. As soon as he takes a step, Chuck can tell that he probably won't make it the short distance across the hall without falling again. Despite their differences, Chuck doesn't want him to get hurt, so she wraps her arm around his back to support him. He instinctively put his arm over her shoulder to allow her to help him.

Chuck immediately notices that his usual pleasing scent is overwhelmed by the stench of alcohol. "God. How much did you have to drink?" she mutters under her breath as she helps him to his door. His keys are on the ground in the hall, so Chuck bends down to get them and unlocks the door. She leads him to his couch and he plops himself down on it.

Negan really doesn't look good. And for some reason, Chuck feels bad for him. She knows that she really should just leave him alone, but there's a part of her that wants to help him.

Chuck lets out a huff and goes into Negan's kitchen to pour him a glass of water. "Here." She hands him the glass.

He accepts it and gulps the liquid down in just a few drinks. Chuck takes the glass back and sets it on the kitchen counter. When she comes back around the couch, Negan is laying down with his arm over his eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"I'm fuckin' fine as fuck," he drawls without removing his arm from his face.

"You look it," she quips sarcastically. "You shouldn't have drank so much." She moves to the end of the couch to untie his boots.

"I should've drunk fuckin' more and I'd be fuckin' passed the fuck out like I fuckin' wanted."

She pulls his left boot off. "You're gonna feel bad tomorrow." She moves to his right foot to pull that one off, too.

"I don't give a fuckin' shit."

"Why not?" she asks and sets his boots by the door.

He finally moves his arm away from his face to look at her. "You wanna know why I would do this to myself?" He kicks his legs back down to sit up. "Yesterday was my fuckin' twenty two year wedding anniversary. And tomorrow is the fuckin' twelve year anniversary of the day my fuckin' mate died. So excuse fuckin' me if I don't wanna be fuckin' conscious right now."

His admission shocks Chuck. She didn't know that he was married or that he was a widower. "I'm so sorry, Negan." She sits down next to him. "I didn't know."

Negan tries to take off his jacket, but he can't quite do it in his addled state. Chuck stands back up to assist him. As soon as he gets it off he lays back down and closes his eyes without another word.

Even though he hurt her, she doesn't like seeing him like this. So she decides to take care of him. She finds a blanket in his closet and when she comes back out to drape it over him, he's already asleep and snoring loudly.

For some reason Chuck can't really rationalize, she doesn't want to leave him here alone in the state he's in. After she sets the bucket she found under Negan's sink on the floor by him, she pulls out another blanket and curls up on the armchair beside the couch and promptly falls asleep, surrounded by Negan's scent.

The next morning when Negan wakes up, before he even opens his eyes, he knows that Chuck is in the room. When he finally does look around, he sees the girl all curled up in his old blanket on the chair next to him. His memory of the night before is fuzzy, so he's not exactly sure why the girl had stayed the night, but her scent in his space is comforting to him. Not so much that it stops his hungover stomach from betraying him, though.

Negan sees the bucket next to the couch and quickly grabs it to vomit the liquid contents of his stomach into it. The sound wakes Chuck up, so she goes to the kitchen to get Negan another drink of water.

"I'm glad I put that bucket there," she mutters to herself as she stands in front of Negan.

When he's done retching, he looks up to Chuck's outstretched hand and takes the water. "Thanks, sweetheart." Taking the water, he rinses his mouth out quickly and spits it in the bucket. "What are you doing here?"

Chuck moves into the kitchen. "Taking care of you," Chuck calls out with some attitude while she makes a pot of coffee.

He takes it a few gulps of the cold water. "Why the fuck would you do that?"

She comes back out to the living room while the pot brews. "Because I didn't want you to choke on your own puke in the night."

He drags his hand down his face with a groan. "You probably just shoulda fuckin' let me," he mutters as he rests his elbows on his knees and hangs his head.

"Negan..." Chuck isn't sure what to say. She's not exactly skilled in comforting drunk people. "You shouldn't think that way."

He lifts his head to look at her. "What do you fuckin' know?" He drops his head again.

"I know you're hurting. Losing a mate is-"

He jerks his head up and cuts her off. "What the fuck did you just say?" He has no recollection of mentioning to her that he lost his wife years ago.

"I can't begin to understand how you feel since your wife died, but-"

"Don't you fuckin' talk about her." He stands to loom over Chuck. "Don't you _ever_ fuckin' talk about her."

Chuck can't help the tears from forming in her eyes. "I'm just trying to help, you jerk," she chokes out.

As a tear falls down her cheek, Negan feels a twinge of guilt in his chest. "Fuck," he whispers and looks away in shame. "Don't fuckin' cry, sweetheart," he says gently. "I'm sorry. This is just... not a fuckin' comfortable subject for me."

Chuck wipes her eyes and goes to the kitchen to pour him his coffee. When she brings it back out, he's sitting down on the couch again. "Here." She holds the mug in front of him until he takes it.

"Thanks." He takes a sip. "You should just go home."

Chuck sits down in the armchair, instead. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

Chuck doesn't answer, but just stares at him.

"I'm fine," he answers her silent question and takes another drink.

She knows he's lying. She doesn't know _how_ she knows, but she has this feeling in her bones telling her that he needs her. "I don't think you are."

He nods slowly. "So, I fuckin' blabbed about my shitty past last night."

"You don't remember?"

He shakes his head. "I don't even remember getting the fuck home last night."

"Drinking just to get drunk is a sign of alcoholism," she comments.

He lets out a sad chuckle and sits back to rest his head on the back of the couch. "I'm not an alcoholic, honey."

"Well, drinking that much isn't good for you."

He crooks his eyebrow. "You worried about me?"

She shrugs. "I guess. Even if you're a jerk, you don't deserve to be in pain."

"Shit, baby girl. You just can't help but be a fuckin' sweetheart, can you."

Her cheeks heat up with a blush. "People can't just be nice?"

"Not generally. People are bastards."

"Well," she clears her throat, "I can't just leave you."

Negan's lips curl up in a smile. "Like I said," he gestures to her, "sweetheart."

Chuck gets up and sits next to Negan. "Can I ask you a question?"

He lets out a little sigh. "I really don't wanna fuckin' talk about Lucille."

Chuck didn't know the name of Negan's former mate before that moment. "It's not about her. Directly, anyway."

He nods once. "Okay."

"What's it like to have a mate?"

Even though the question most certainly is about Lucille, considering that's the only mate he's ever had, he decides to answer it. After all, Chuck will have a mate at some point. And he figures she really doesn't have anyone else to ask.

He lets out a heavy breath. "It's like... It's like not realizing that there was a part of you missing your fuckin' whole life. Then, the second the claim is made, you're fuckin' whole."

Chuck nods. "Alphas don't feel it like omegas, right?"

"I did," he answers simply.

Chuck nods again. "That sounds really nice." Chuck's never even really had a friend before, so the thought of having someone that completes her seems like an utter fantasy.

"It was."

"You never claimed anyone else after-" She doesn't finish her question because Negan starts to shake his head.

"I should've never fuckin' claimed _her_. I'm not made to have a mate."

Chuck understands the feeling. "I don't think I am, either."

"That's not true, sweetheart."

"My mom was right. I'm not good with people. I'm a freak and no one will ever want me."

Negan scoots closer to her and puts his arm around her shoulder. "You're not a freak, honey. And that's not what your mom meant, anyway. She's just protecting you and, you know what, I think you should let her. She's fuckin' looking out for you."

Chuck nods. "I know."

"You're not fuckin' like me, okay? You're gonna find a fuckin' mate that will take care of you the way you deserve. You're smart and funny and beautiful. And sweet." He tucks some of her hair behind her ear then leaves his hand on her cheek. "Any alpha that doesn't see that is a goddamn idiot." He looks down at her big green eyes and feels a strong urge to lean in and kiss her. But he fights it. He doesn't want to hurt this girl any more than he already has.

Chuck has the same urge, too, but fights it for a different reason. If she did kiss him, it might lead to more. Though that sounds really good to her at the moment, she really doesn't want a purely physical relationship with someone. She wants someone to actually like her, appreciate her. Someone that can be her partner. And that's not going to happen with Negan, she figures. He wants her because she's the closest omega and that's it. Nothing more.

Or so she thinks. She's completely unaware of the battle raging inside of Negan. He knows he wants to knot her. Of course he does. She's cute with a great body. So, yeah, he wants to bed her like he does so many other women. But what scares him is that he _does_ want more than that. There's a part of him that wants to take care of her, give her everything she could ever want, give her pups. He hasn't felt this way in a long time and it has him frightened that if he gives into it, someone will get hurt. Most likely Chuck, because he'd break her heart. And that would break his heart.

Both of them pull away from each other. Chuck clears her throat and scratches at her nose.

"You should probably take a shower," she says quietly. "You smell like a bar," she jokes to diffuse the tension.

Negan chuckles. "Yeah." He sniffs at himself and winces. "You're fuckin' right." He stands up with a groan as his head pounds from the motion. "Are you still gonna be here when I fuckin' get out of the shower?"

She nods. She knows today is going to be hard on Negan, so she wants to help him any way she can. "Unless you kick me out," she says with a smile.

"I won't kick you out, sweetheart." He gives her a quick wink before heading off into his bedroom.

Chuck feels a warmth emanating from her chest as she sits in Negan's place, knowing that she is going to take care of him. She doesn't really know why the thought is making her feel so good, but she's not fighting it.

Unbeknownst to either Chuck or Negan is that someone has been listening in on their entire conversation. The phone that's been in Chuck's pocket all night has been hacked to become an open microphone transmitting their words to the phone currently sitting on the passenger's seat of the car parked outside their building.

Eldritch lets out a growl from the driver's seat. "Negan," he spits out. His hate for the man he has yet to set eyes on has grown every minute that Chuck spends in his presence. "She's mine," he hisses from between his teeth.


	6. Part 6

Negan gets out of the shower and comes back out to the living room just as Chuck is putting a dirty cereal bowl in his sink.

"You changed your clothes," he comments as he pours himself more coffee to try to combat the headache he has.

"Yeah. I went home and got dressed."

He turns and points to the box of Cap'n Crunch that is definitely not his sitting on the counter. "And brought breakfast."

Chuck giggles. "Yeah. I usually just eat cereal in the morning and you didn't have any. I took some of your milk though. I hope that's okay."

"Well then it's only fair I get some of your cereal." He gets in his cupboard and grabs a bowl, not waiting for her answer.

"You can have some."

He pours himself a bowl then sits down at the counter, with Chuck standing on the other side. He takes a bite of the crunchy little morsels then points to his bowl with his fork. "Isn't this shit for kids?"

"You're thinking of Trix," Chuck jokes without skipping a beat.

He chuckles when he realizes that she's joking around. "Smartass," he mutters back, but not seriously. He takes another bite and doesn't even swallow before speaking again. "You know how much sugar is in this shit?"

Chuck shrugs. "That's what makes it good."

After a few more bites and some slurping of milk, Negan clears his plate and leans back on the sink to face Chuck. "You know, your mom's gonna fuckin' kill me for having you over here."

"I was the one that came over, so..." she shrugs.

"Somehow, I don't think that'll matter to her."

"Are you afraid of my mother?" Chuck smiles at the thought that her beta mom could scare Negan.

"Well, she did _literally_ threaten to murder me."

Chuck's face falls. "She didn't."

"She did. Said she knew how to get away with fuckin' poisoning my ass."

Chuck looks down and shakes her head. She doesn't want her mother threatening anyone because of her.

"Cut her some slack, okay?" he says gently. "Honestly, if I was her, I'd've done the same fuckin' thing."

"That doesn't make me feel better."

"Why not?" Negan asks genuinely. "You got fuckin' people looking out for you."

Chuck sees that he really doesn't get it. "Because..." She clears her throat. "Because it makes me feel like I'm not in control of my own life."

"You can be in fuckin' control and still accept help."

"I guess." Chuck shrugs a shoulder.

"Look, honey," he pushes off the counter and takes a step toward Chuck. "Omegas..." He tries to think what exactly he wants to say. "Even though you're twenty five, you're newly fuckin' presented. Newly presented omegas are-"

She looks up at him with her big green eyes, waiting for his next words, but Negan cant finish his thought.

He lets out a sigh, instead. "This world can be a shitty fuckin' place for omegas. Still. And alphas sure as fuck can be dicks. And I'm not talking about hurt feelings, either. I'm talking about bodily fuckin' harm."

"Violence against omegas is illegal," she says innocently.

"I know, sweetheart. Doesn't mean it doesn't fuckin' happen. And it certainly doesn't fuckin' mean that alphas are charged every time they fuckin' should be. Alphas are fuckin' good at weaseling their way out of paying the consequences for their actions."

"Oh," she says quietly. That's not exactly something that she's ever really thought about before.

"Omegas, unfortunately, really can't go it fuckin' alone. Not totally, anyway. So, let your mom fight battles for you. Cuz even though she's a beta, people will back off from her much fuckin' sooner than they'll back off from you." He shrugs a shoulder. "No offense. It's just fuckin' true."

It's a hard truth to accept, but it's true nonetheless. Omegas are seen as being weak and submissive, so people tend not to take them seriously in a fight. Especially if she's fighting for herself.

"I guess." Chuck nods. "I guess I got a lot to learn." Even though Chuck is the one living an omega life now, she feels like Negan might know more about omegas than her at this point. She doesn't really have that much experience herself yet, but he was married to and lived with an omega for many years. "Can I ask you things?"

He's taken aback by her request. "I'm not sure if I'm right for that."

"Oh," she responds dejectedly, thinking that he just doesn't want to. "Okay."

"No. It's not..." He lets out a heavy breath, not wanting to upset her. "You can ask me shit. I just don't want to say the wrong fuckin' thing. I'm not a goddamn expert or anything."

Chuck nods. "You know more than me, though. I've looked stuff up. I mean, you know, medical, anatomical kind of stuff about omegas and alphas. But... I just don't know... you know."

"Well, sweetheart-"

She cuts him off. "Like, what did it feel like when you went into rut?"

Negan's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. "Uh..." He clears his throat and scratches at the back of his neck. "It's probably like how you feel in your heat," he starts then moves out of the kitchen to sit down on his couch in the living room, hoping that that would be the end of the discussion.

Chuck follows along to sit down beside him. "I don't know what heats feel like. I was knocked out for both of the ones I went through."

Negan's never had a hard time discussing sex or anything having to do with his body, but the innocently curious look Chuck is giving him has him stumbling over his own thoughts.

"Well..." He scratches at his beard. "Being in rut is like..." He lets out a deep breath, trying to think of the right thing to say. "It's like... _want_. I just fuckin' _want_. And the thing I want is the only goddamn thing on my mind."

"Does it hurt?"

He shakes his head. "It doesn't _hurt_ , really. Not like heats can. Instead of being in pain, it just fuckin' ... _consumes_ me more. The _want_ turns into fuckin' _need_. And the more I need it, the less control I have over myself."

"That's why you broke into my apartment?"

"I didn't _break in_ ," he's quick to clarify. "I used the fuckin' keys." He scratches at his temple. "But, yes. I just needed... _something_. Something more than my fuckin' hand."

"Hand?" she responds in confusion.

"Shit, sweetheart. Please don't make me explain jerking off to you."

"Oh!" Her face instantly turns beet red. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't- You don't have to explain! I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"I mean, I knew during rut alphas get-" She gestures a little to try to convey her meaning. "But I was trying to go around that and not- You know?" She giggles in embarrassment.

He chuckles. "It's fuckin' fine, Chuck."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that." She covers her face to hide her flushed cheeks.

"You shouldn't be the one fuckin' embarrassed. I'm the one that broke in and fucked your clothes."

Chuck laughs, partly out of nerves and partly because she thinks it's funny. "Did it help though?"

"Fucking your clothes?"

She laughs again. "Well, I guess. But I meant being in my apartment."

He nods. "Yeah. Being in an omega's space calmed me fuckin' down." He clears his throat a little. "But it was fuckin' inappropriate of me and it won't happen again. That rut just fuckin' snuck up on me."

"It's okay. I mean, it was my fault, right?"

"No. It wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything. And I should've fuckin' controlled myself better." He rubs at his face and groans as his head throbs.

"Are you okay?"

"Fuckin' hungover."

"Can I get you anything to help?"

"Hair of the dog," he jokes.

"What does that mean?"

He looks over to her questioningly. "You've never heard that before?"

"Jack Torrance says it in The Shining. I've never heard it otherwise."

He chuckles. "The Shining?"

"Yeah. You remember when he was talking to Lloyd in the bar?"

"I think I only saw like half of that fuckin' movie. Once."

"What?! That's one of my favorite movies! I've seen it a million times!"

"I remember the ghost blowjob scene."

"Ghost blowjob?"

"You know, the guy in the dog suit on his knees."

Chuck laughs. "That wasn't a blowjob!"

"Then what was it?"

"Well, the guy had a mask covering his face. That seems like the least effective way to give a bee jibber."

Negan laughs. "He was a ghost. His dick coulda went right through the fuckin mask."

Chuck can't help but laugh really hard at this ridiculous conversation. "Wouldn't it just go through the guy's _cheeks_ then, too?" she barely gets out through her giggles.

Seeing Chuck laugh so much fills Negan with a warmth that he hasn't felt in a very long time. But it's fleeting. The second he realizes how good it feels, his mind goes back when he felt this way with Lucille. And then, of course, he remembers that it's the anniversary of her death.

Chuck sees the change in Negan's demeanor. "What?"

He doesn't look at her. "Nothing."

Even though he didn't say it, Chuck's pretty sure she knows what the change was. After all, the reason she's with him is because she couldn't leave him by himself to get through this tough day.

"Can I do anything for you?" she asks sweetly.

"Nah. I don't think so."

"I'm sorry you're hurting so much."

He looks over to her for a moment before speaking. "Why are you being so goddamn nice to me?"

Chuck shrugs. "I don't know." She looks away from him, unsure herself at why she is still in Negan's apartment. "It just seems like the right thing to do."

It's been a long time since someone has acted like they actually care about Negan. Sure, women like his company in the bedroom. And the guys at work joke around with him some. Even Simon listens diligently as Negan recounts his day. But no one seems like they actually give a shit about him. No one would go out of their way to help him like this girl is doing.

And, yeah. It feels nice for him.

The pair hang out together the rest of the day. Negan finds that his mind is easily distracted from the weight of this horrible anniversary by Chuck, even when she's not doing much. It's the way she moves around his apartment, completely unaware of his gaze. The excitement in her voice as she talks about some game or tv show he doesn't know anything about. Or the way her nose scrunches up when she laughs. But the second she steps away, those familiar dark thoughts invade his mind once again.

At the same time, Chuck is enjoying her time with Negan again. She doesn't really have too much experience just hanging out with people, so it's nice to laugh casually with him. But there is that little niggling voice in the back of her head telling her it's not real. It's reminding her that Negan had said that he was only after her so she would sleep with him (or that's how she interpreted it, anyway).

As they finish up their dinner of delivery pizza from Fulci's, Chuck decides that she can't ignore that voice anymore.

"Are you still trying to sleep with me?"

Negan is taken aback by her sudden question, causing him to blank on the answer. Chuck takes his hesitation as a "yes", though.

She looks away and nods slowly, feeling her eyes prick with tears.

"No, honey." He stretches his hand over the table to grasp her own, but she pulls away.

"I know you'll think it's stupid, but it kinda hurts knowing that you don't like me as a person." She wipes at her eyes to prevent her tears from falling.

"Who fuckin' said I don't like you as a person?"

"You did. To my mom."

"I did _not_ fuckin' say that."

She looks to him with an incredulous expression. "You said that everything you did was only to get me to sleep with you."

"No. That's not what I fuckin' said. I said that I _tried_ everything not that it _was_ everything. That doesn't fuckin' mean that I was lying or putting on."

"I don't see the difference, Negan."

He sighs and rubs his hand down his face. "I like you, okay, Chuck. I never fuckin' humored you anything like that. Yeah, I'm a fuckin' asshole who was thinking with my dick a little bit, but I like being with you. And it's more than just the alpha/omega shit."

She looks over at him, but she's not convinced.

"You really need to have more fuckin' faith in yourself, sweetheart. There's nothing fuckin' wrong with you. Your personality is fuckin' fine." He reaches over again and this time, she doesn't shy away. "You're great to be around, okay? So get outta that fuckin' head and stop listening to yourself."

Chuck nods with a giggle. "Okay. I'll try."

As Negan looks at Chuck smiling softly at him, he thinks about Diane's words again. "It's not you, okay? But you really should still listen to your mom and stay away from me. I'm not a good man, Chuck."

Her smile drops at his words.

"You know what." Negan stands to clear the table. "You've wasted enough of your fuckin' day on this old man. Why don't you go on home. I'm fuckin' fine, barely a headache now." He sets the plates in the sink and breaks down the pizza box, hoping that Chuck will leave. It's not that he doesn't want her there, it's just that he thinks she shouldn't waste her time on him.

Negan's saying the right things to show that he's okay, and all with a smile on his face, but Chuck knows he's lying. Somehow, she still feels that pain radiating off of him.

"You still need me," she says quietly as she stands from her chair.

He turns back around to face her. "' _Need_ ' you? I've had hangovers before, sweetheart, and I've always managed," he jokes.

"It's not the hangover." The words hang heavy between them. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I'm not gonna hurt myself, honey. If I was going to off myself, I woulda done it a decade ago."

"That's not funny, Negan."

"I'm not trying to be."

"I didn't mean that way, anyway. I meant..." she searches for the right words, "wallowing in your sadness. Beating yourself up. That kind of hurt."

He's not really sure what to say. "I'll be fuckin' fine. I always am."

"Well, I'm gonna stay, anyway."

He wants to insist that she leave. He wants to push her so she'll stay away from him, but he just can't do it. "Okay." Negan moves back into the living room to sit on his couch.

"Is your hangover really better?" Chuck sits down beside him.

"It's not bad. I'm sure you know what it feels like. You probably had your fair share of them in college, right?"

"I've never had a hangover."

Negan scrunches up his face in shock. "You've never had a hangover?"

She shakes her head.

"You've been drunk, right?"

She sheepishly shakes her head again.

"Surely you've drunk alcohol before."

"I had some champagne at a wedding last year."

"Shit, sweetheart. You gotta live a little."

She shrugs. "I guess."

"You ever been on a plane?"

"Yeah. We had a vacation in France once."

"Been on a motorcycle?"

"No."

"Ah, fuck. You gotta do it. Riding is fuckin' amazing."

"You have a motorcycle?"

His face falls. His Harley was like his baby, but it was one of the first things he got rid of after Lucille died. It had taken him years to rebuild the vintage machine, all on his own. But after he lost Lucille, he sold it, along with pretty much everything else he owned.

"I used to," he answers, but quickly changes the subject. "Gone skydiving?"

"Absolutely not!" She laughs. "You?"

"Fuck no. Seen a Major League Baseball from right behind the dugout?"

"I've never seen a baseball game, period."

"Shit, girl."

"I know." She shrugs a shoulder. "I'm a loser."

"You're not a fuckin' loser. You're just sheltered."

Chuck's cell phone buzzes in her pocket. "That's probably my mom."

"Shit."

Chuck laughs at Negan's reaction and lifts the phone to see the text. But it's not from her mom. "Oh. It's from my boss."

Chuck has no idea that Eldritch had been listening in on everything that she and Negan have said today through her hacked phone. And as they day went on, he got angrier and angrier that she hadn't left Negan's apartment. He finally decided that he needed to take matters into his own hands to pry her away from him.

" _I need your help with something. Can you come into the office?_ " the text says.

She thinks about it for a moment. She really doesn't want to leave Negan, but she doesn't want to upset her boss either.

"What's he want?" Negan asks.

"He wants me to go into the office to help him with something."

"It's seven o'clock," Negan snaps back. It sounds a little suspicious to him. "Are you gonna go in?"

"I'm not sure, yet." Chuck types in her text to reply. " _I actually can't leave right now. Is there any way I can help from home?_ "

The three dots telling her that he's typing seem to blink forever.

"I hope he's not angry." Going in would be a hassle, so she really doesn't want to. But she also wants to keep her job.

The text finally pops up. " _Okay. I'll email you the problem._ "

"So?" Negan asks, really hoping that Chuck won't leave.

"I have to go home to work on whatever this thing is." She stands from the couch and heads to the door. "But," she turns back around, "you can come over. You can watch The Shining on Netflix while I work." She smiles back at him, hoping that he will accept the invitation. "If you want."

Negan stands before answering. "Sure. That sounds fuckin' good. Maybe I can settle the debate of whether or not it was an actual ghost blowjob."

Chuck giggles as she opens the door. "That age old debate," she jokes.

When they get across the hall, Chuck sets up the movie for Negan to watch and gets to work at her desk on the thing that Eldritch had sent her. As she types on her computer, Negan is mostly quiet while he watches the movie. Except for one part.

"Ooo. There's nudity?" Negan calls out when he gets to the part of the movie where Jack Torrance is in the bathroom with the naked young woman.

Chuck giggles, knowing what happens next. "Yup," she responds as she waits for the twist.

"Oh shit! She turned into a gross old lady!"

Chuck laughs at his reaction. "That'll teach Jack to make out with rando women."

Chuck finishes her work before the end of the film, so she comes over to sit on the couch beside Negan. It really wasn't that big of a problem, so she doesn't know why Eldritch even needed her help.

When the credits start to roll, Chuck turns to Negan. "So? Did you like it?"

"Yeah. It was fuckin' good. Kinda fucked up in places."

"Is the jury still out on the ghost ding dong?"

Negan bursts out laughing. "I fuckin' guess."

The next day, Diane calls Chuck after she gets home from work.

"Hello?" Chuck answers.

" _Hey, sweetie. Whatcha doing?_ "

"Nothing." Chuck lets out a sigh. "I have to tell you something, though."

" _Okay...?_ " Diane is already prepared for the worst.

"I spent the whole day with Negan yesterday."

" _Oh, Chuck._ " Diane can't hide her disappointed tone. " _Please tell me you used protection._ "

"I didn't sleep with him! God!"

" _You didn't?_ "

"No! We just hung out."

" _Thank god._ "

"I'm really glad you have so much faith in me, though," Chuck bites back in sarcasm.

" _It's not_ _ **you**_ _I don't have faith in. You know alphas have their way of convincing people to give them what they want._ "

"Well, It wasn't like that, anyway. I was just... taking care of him."

" _What_ _ **exactly**_ _do you mean by that?_ "

Chuck lets out a sigh. "Don't tell him I told you this, but Negan had a mate that died years ago named Lucille. Yesterday was the anniversary of her death and he was taking it really hard. I think he takes it really hard every year."

That's surprising news to Diane. Negan doesn't seem like the kind of alpha to actually take a mate. " _He had a mate?_ "

"Yeah. And he tried to drink himself into a blackout so he wouldn't have to deal with thinking about it. It just really broke my heart to see him like that. To still be in so much pain. Especially after all these years."

" _Well, sweetie. It's nice that you wanted to help him._ "

"I don't know, Mom. It's like I _had_ to. I just couldn't _not_. I couldn't leave him like that. He was so sad that... I don't know, I kinda felt it, you know?"

" _You_ _ **felt**_ _it?_ "

"Yeah. I don't know how to explain it. It's like his pain was all around me and I had to do something about it."

Diane thinks she knows what's happening with Negan and Chuck, but she really doesn't want it to be true. Everything between Chuck and Negan always seems to point to them being true mates. At least all the things Diane was told about true mates.

Since omegas aren't that plentiful to begin with, an actual true match between an alpha and an omega is almost unheard of. But everyone knows what true mates are and what that means. True mates are supposed to complement each other like two halves of a coin. And they will always come back to each other when they are separated, no matter what, no matter the distance. They're even supposed to be able to feel what the other is feeling, especially when emotions are high.

At least that's how true mates are in fiction, anyway.

There are old bedtime stories about the peasant girl omega finding that her true mate is the handsome prince. Or the lonely huntsman alpha coming across his true mate in the woods. And that's what people think of when they hear "true mates", fairy tales. Because no one has ever really seen them for real.

At any rate, how Chuck and Negan have responded to each other hasn't exactly been typical, so if it isn't because they're true mates, then Diane is determined to find out why.

Diane leaves work early the next day and heads off to Spring Harbor Medical Center in Charlottesville to get some answers. She had called Dr. Bailey the day before to set up this appointment, but hadn't gone into detail about exactly what she wanted to discuss with the doctor.

After Dr. Bailey greets Diane at the door to her office, Diane takes the seat in front of her desk as Dr. Bailey takes hers.

"So, Diane, what has you coming all the way from Fredericksburg? Are you thinking of transferring?" Dr. Bailey jokes knowing that Diane works as a nurse there.

Diane chuckles. "No. I like my job at Charity General. I just wanted to get your expertise on something."

"I assume this has to do with your daughter."

"Yeah."

"Well, you already know her medical history, so I'm not sure what more I can tell you."

Diane decides just to be direct, even if it's a little silly. "What do you know about true mates?"

Dr. Bailey wasn't expecting that. "I've never met any. Nor have I met anyone that's met any."

"So you don't think they're real?"

Dr. Bailey takes her glasses off and hangs them on the pocket of her white coat. "I wouldn't say that exactly. There's no hard scientific evidence for their existence. But there are several historic accounts and anecdotes going back centuries. Including a pretty detailed one from France in the 1860s." She gives Diane a smile, figuring she knows where this conversation is headed now. "Are you worried that Chuck won't find a suitable mate?"

Diane shakes her head. "I'm worried that she's found her true mate already. And he's not the kind of man I want her to be with."

"Is he violent?"

"I don't think so. I haven't really had too many conversations with him. He's my age, though."

"So it's just that he's so much older than Chuck?"

Diane shakes her head. "That's not it. Negan's just so..."

"Negan?" Dr. Bailey repeats in recognition.

"You know Negan?"

"I have met him, yes."

"How do you know him?"

"I can't discuss it."

Diane puts it together. Dr. Bailey treats omegas, so the only reason she would know Negan is if he came in with an omega. "You treated his mate?"

"I can't discuss it," she reiterates. "But I've talked with Negan many times. Not in several years, mind you. I didn't know he was still in the area."

"He lives next to my daughter."

"Ah. I see. That's why you're concerned."

"He went into rut when Chuck went into heat," Diane blurts out.

"Hmm. That is... curious."

"Could it be a fluke? Just coincidence?" Diane really hopes that she says yes.

"It's _possible_. But not likely. If her heat triggered a rut in him, then they are extraordinarily compatible to one another. I'm not sure if that is exactly the 'true mates' of lore, but I'm betting that keeping them away from each other will most likely prove to be difficult, at any rate."

Diane nods, even though she isn't exactly liking what she's hearing. "I'm starting to realize that."

"Does Chuck think they're true mates."

"She hasn't said so. I don't think she believes in that stuff. And I don't want to talk to her about it. She's still so green about all this, I don't want to push her into doing anything or put any ideas in her head."

"Maybe talk to Negan about it."

Diane laughs out loud at that. "He and I aren't exactly friendly."

"If he's going to be in Chuck's life, maybe you should be."

Diane sighs. "Yeah, maybe. I just don't want Chuck to get hurt by him. She's sweet and innocent. And he's the exact opposite."

"I understand that. But I really can't tell you what the right thing to do here is."

"I was hoping you'd tell me that there was no such thing as true mates and that I wouldn't have to worry about keeping Chuck away from Negan."

"I can't tell you that. But I would be interested in studying them if this relationship between them persists."

"Ugh," Diane groans dramatically. "Don't call it a relationship. Please."

Dr. Bailey chuckles in response. "For what it's worth, the Negan I saw back then loved his mate very much. He had his faults, but I never once thought he didn't love his omega."

Later on in the month, Chuck runs into Negan in the hallway as they're both leaving for work.

"You gotta go in today?" Negan asks as he keeps the elevator doors open for Chuck.

She enters the elevator and pushes the button for the ground floor. "Yeah. Unfortunately."

"I was gonna make chicken parmigiana tonight if you wanna join me."

Chuck smiles up at him. "That sounds really good."

In the two weeks after the hangover incident, Chuck and Negan have been trying to be more casual in their relationship, whatever it is. They haven't been avoiding each other outright, but they haven't been spending every day together, either. They've just been letting what comes, come.

Negan still isn't sure if he should allow himself to get close to Chuck. There's that part of him that wants to tell Chuck to run for the hills, to get as far away from him as she can, but it's dwarfed by the part that doesn't want to be away from her.

Negan and Chuck part ways in the parking lot and head off to their respective jobs. Once Chuck gets to the Ad Astra office, she sits at one of the stations and gets to work. After a while, she gets interrupted.

"Chuck," Eldritch's voice calls out from behind her.

She turns around to face her boss. "Yes, Mr. Ruben?"

"You don't have to be so formal."

"Sorry." She giggles nervously. "Do you need something?"

"You know Noble Moon Cafe?"

"Yeah. I know where that is."

"I got a table reserved there in a half an hour. So, meet me there?"

"Oh, okay," she agrees cheerfully.

It doesn't happen often that her boss would take everyone out to eat on the company's dime, but it's always nice when it does. She continues to work for a little bit, then gathers her things to leave so she can be on time for lunch.

When she gets to the fancy cafe, she tells the hostess that she's with the Ad Astra reservation. When the stylishly dressed woman draws a blank, Chuck tries again with her bosses name.

"Oh," the woman exclaims. "Right this way."

Chuck follows her outside on this warm August day to the covered patio, expecting to see most of her coworkers already there. But that's not the case.

Eldritch stands from his chair at the small bistro table and pulls out the seat across from him. "Here, Chuck. Sit."

Chuck hesitantly takes the seat and allows him to push her in. "Where is everyone else?" she asks, confused as to why they seem to be alone.

Eldritch sits back down in his seat. "It's just us. I thought I should show my best coder how much I appreciate her."

"Oh. That's really nice of you. Thank you." Even though Chuck is sure that she should be really flattered by her boss's praise, she can't help but feel a little weird that she's having a meal with him alone. She pushes that feeling away, though, thinking that it's just her social anxiety messing with her.

When the waitress comes over with the menus, Eldritch stops her before she sets them down.

"She is going to have the cobb salad, red wine vinaigrette on the side," he orders for Chuck without even consulting her. "And I will have the chef salad, Russian dressing on the side. Thank you."

It actually rubs Chuck the wrong way that he ordered for her. After all, it's the meal that _she's_ going to be eating. But then she thinks that maybe that's customary. She doesn't really know one way or the other, so she doesn't bring it up.

The waitress leaves without another word and Chuck and Eldritch start to wait for their food.

"So, tell me, Chuck," Eldritch begins, "what do you like to do outside of work? I'd like to get to know you a little better."

"Um..." Chuck takes a sip of the water that is sitting in front of her. "I'm not that interesting," she answers with a nervous giggle. "I do nerdy things. Play video games, read, play guitar."

Eldritch pretends like that's all news to him. In reality, he's used all of his expertise in programming and computers to follow Chuck's digital footprints and paint a picture of her life. Not to mention what he has learned through hacking her phone and listening in on her conversations.

"What's the last game you played?" he asks, already knowing the answer.

"The last new game I played was Detroit. But I was just replaying Last of Us yesterday."

"I didn't pick up Detroit, yet, But I love Last of Us. It's really one of the best games I've ever played."

"It really is," Chuck enthusiastically agrees. "I just love Joel. And Ellie, too."

"That game is beautiful. Very well designed."

"I can't wait for the next one." She tucks some of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. She had cut it short several months ago on a whim and regretted it ever since. Thankfully, her presentation had made her hair grow faster than normal, so it's now at her shoulders and almost long enough to wear up like she used to.

"Do you recommend Detroit?" He knows that she enjoys video games, so he wants her to think that she has something in common with him in that regard. Especially since it seems like Negan doesn't know anything about them.

"Oh yeah. I liked it a lot. I've replayed it a couple times."

Their meals arrive, so the conversation dies down a little. Since Chuck is no longer talking so much (Eldritch made sure to steer the conversation to topics that he knows she likes), that awkward discomfort starts to settle into her bones again.

Every time she looks up to Eldritch, he's looking squarely at her. It makes her uncomfortable, but she tries to brush it off. After all, he's just being nice, right?

When the waitress comes to collect the empty plates, Chuck is ready to pay the bill and leave. But Eldritch has other plans.

"We're going to share the triple chocolate mousse cake," he orders without prompt.

"It takes twenty minutes to prepare," the waitress warns.

Chuck really doesn't want to wait that long. "Oh, I-" she starts to protest, but Eldritch talks over her.

"That's fine," he says to the waitress and she leaves to put the order in. "Did you like the cobb salad?" he directs at Chuck.

"Uh, yeah. It was fine." She tries not to sound annoyed with the situation, even though she is.

Eldritch catches it, though. "Just fine? I thought you'd like it."

Despite her growing discomfort, she doesn't want her boss to be mad at her. "It was good. I've never had one before."

"Good. Do you have any plans for dinner tonight?" He knows she does. With Negan, no less. But he's hoping to get her to switch.

"I do, actually."

"Anything fun?"

"My neighbor is making me dinner. He's a really good cook," she comments innocently.

He hates that she's complimenting Negan. "You know, I make a mean chicken parmigiana myself," Eldritch throws out before thinking it through.

Chuck just laughs, though. "It's so funny you say that because that's what he's making. What are the odds?" Eldritch's slip up in mentioning the dish that he heard Negan say goes completely over her head.

Eldritch laughs it off, too, in hopes that Chuck won't think too hard about it. "It's my signature dish. I could make it for you some time and you can tell me whose is better."

"O-Oh. Yeah..." she agrees tentatively, not wanting to seem rude.

"Or maybe we could do it tonight," he pushes.

"Well..." Now she's really uncomfortable. "I already have plans, so..."

"I'm sure he won't mind you canceling."

"I-I don't know..."

At the same time that all of this is happening, Negan decides to walk the couple blocks from the dealership to his favorite deli on his lunch break. It just so happens that this will take him right past the patio of the cafe that Chuck is currently sitting at.

Negan feels it before he even notices her. An odd tightness settles in his chest, stopping him dead in his tracks. That's when he sees her, sitting at a table not far from the sidewalk with another man. And she doesn't look happy. Actually, she looks scared.

Feeling like he needs to do something about it, he speed walks the rest of the way down the sidewalk to get to her.

Chuck sees Negan approaching from over Eldritch's shoulder. He turns to see what has stolen Chuck's attention and barely suppresses a growl when he sees it's Negan.

Even though Eldritch has never met Negan, he knows everything about him, too. His credit score, what's in his bank account, that bar he goes to a few times a week, the speeding tickets he's got. That info is all there just in case Eldritch has to use it to take Negan down. Because he's not planning on allowing this other alpha the chance to get his hands on Chuck.

"Negan," Chuck calls out as he gets to the railing separating the patio from the sidewalk. "This is my boss, Mr. Ruben."

Negan pauses and looks the man over. He's an alpha. A big one at that, about the same height as Negan, but much more muscular. He's also younger than him by almost a decade.

Eldritch stands and holds his hand out to Negan, pretending to be the polite gentleman. "It's nice to meet you."

Negan accepts the handshake and tries to outgrip the younger alpha. "Yeah. Good to fuckin' meet you, too."

Chuck isn't quite sure what's happening between the two alphas as they stare at each other intensely, but she feels awkward about it. "Are you on your lunch break, Negan?" she asks in hopes that it will change the atmosphere around them.

The alphas break their iron tight handshake and turn back to the omega.

"Actually," Negan starts to answer. "Your mom sent me to find you. She's been trying to text you, but you weren't fuckin' responding."

"Oh? I have my ringer off." Chuck knows he's lying. There's no way her mom would send Negan after her. For any reason.

Eldritch knows he's lying, too. He has Chuck's phone cloned so he can see every text message that goes in and out. And no one has texted her since they started lunch.

"Your mom was in a minor car accident and wants you at the hospital," Negan lies further.

"Oh no," Chuck tries to sound convincing. "I should get there." She turns to Eldritch. "I'm sorry for running out on dessert." She starts to get in her purse to leave money for her meal.

"That's not necessary," Eldritch says calmly, keeping his rage at bay. "Lunch is on me."

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Ruben. That's really nice."

It makes him angry every time she doesn't say his name. He wants her to be comfortable with him. He wants her to consider him a close friend and not just her boss, but he seems to be failing.

"You're welcome," he responds.

Chuck looks around the fenced in area to find a gate, but there is none. "I think I have to walk through." She giggles at the awkwardness and walks back into the cafe to get to the exit.

This leaves Negan and Eldritch standing together by themselves. When Chuck gets out of view, they turn to each other.

"I know what you're fuckin' doing," Negan whispers to the alpha in front of him.

"Taking my employee out to lunch?"

"Alone?" Negan points out. "And asking her to go to the office after hours to 'help' you? But I'm sure you had other people working there that night, right?"

Eldritch glares at Negan. "And what exactly are you doing, Negan?"

The door opens and both men turn to watch Chuck walk out.

"Ready, sweetheart?" Negan walks over to Chuck.

"Yeah. I'm parked around back." She turns to wave at Eldritch. "Thanks for lunch."

Eldritch nods and watches as the pair turn the corner out if sight.

"Your mom is fine. She didn't send me. I lied," Negan admits once they're both in Chuck's car.

"Yeah, I know." She starts her car. "Am I dropping you off somewhere?"

"Turn right. There's a deli a block away. I was headed there for some fuckin' lunch."

"So that's why you happened to walk by." Chuck takes the turn and promptly gets stuck in the lunch hour traffic.

"Yeah. You're fuckin' welcome, by the way."

"Thanks."

"What was he doing that made you look like you wanted nothing more than to get the fuck outta there?"

"I don't know. Nothing, I guess. I think I'm just weird."

"Don't ignore your goddamn instincts. I don't fuckin' like that guy, either."

"It's not that I don't like him. He's actually been really good to me though all this omega stuff. You know, letting me have time off and all that."

"And was he 'really good' to you _before_ you presented?"

Chuck shoots Negan a look. "Just like _we_ were best friends before I presented," she bites back in bitter sarcasm.

"Just because I didn't notice you before, doesn't mean I wouldn't have enjoyed your fuckin' company. If you had just piped up and knocked on my door, I woulda loved to make you dinner and shit."

Chuck doesn't know if she really believes that. "Whatever," she dismisses. "Do you really think he only cares about me being an omega?" She does have to admit to herself that before her presentation, she hadn't really talked to her boss outside of what was necessary for her job, so it is a little suspect.

"I think that's exactly what he cares about."

Chuck nods. "But he did tell my mom I was the best coder he had before he knew I was an omega."

"Well, that's probably fuckin' true. I mean, he's still your boss. He should know which of his employees do their fuckin' job. But was he asking you for late night help and taking you to goddamn lunch before?"

"No," Chuck admits.

"So I want you to stay away from him."

Chuck lets out an incredulous chuckle. "Oh, _do_ you?" Even though she's pretty much convinced that her boss has intentions other than their work with her, she still isn't going to accept a command from Negan.

"Yeah. I don't fuckin' like him."

"So you've said. But he's my boss. I'm still gonna have to interact with him if I wanna continue to make rent." She finally pulls into the deli and parks. "And I'm not gonna do something just because _you_ say."

Negan lets out a huff. "Just promise me you won't be alone with him."

Chuck laughs. "What do you think he's gonna do? Club me and drag me off by my hair?" she jokes. "It's 2018, Negan."

"I don't fuckin' know what he would do, Chuck," he says seriously.

She sees that he isn't kidding around. "Okay, okay. I won't go anywhere alone with him."

"Good." He starts to open his door. "You gonna go in with me?"

Chuck shrugs. "Sure."

They both exit the vehicle, unaware that not only has Eldritch been monitoring their every word, but he's been following them, too.


	7. Part 7

Diane's conversation with Dr. Bailey sticks with her for a long time. She had really hoped that the educated woman would tell her that true mates didn't exist. That Chuck and Negan are only drawn together in a normal attraction kind of way.

But the doctor didn't say that. She kept the true mates possibility open. And if Chuck and Negan really are true mates, then they'll end up together no matter what Diane tries to do.

Wanting to get a little perspective on the subject, Diane knocks on her brother's door and waits for him to answer.

The door opens and Aaron immediately steps aside to let Diane in. "So what's going on?"

She had called him earlier to ask if she could stop by to talk, but she didn't specify why. "I just want to talk," she reiterates and moves through the open floor plan to the sitting area. She sits down on the large sectional couch in front of the fireplace and lets out a heavy breath.

Aaron goes into the kitchen instead of following her. "You want coffee?" he calls out, already intending to make himself one of his Starbucks mocha latte k cups.

"Yeah." Instead of waiting for him to finish and come to her, she gets up and sits at the island. "What do you think about true mates?" she asks to his back as he waits for the coffee to brew.

He turns his head to look at her over his shoulder. "Are you gonna make fun of me like when we were kids for believing in them?" he jokes.

"No. I'm serious."

He picks up the first cup and sets it in front of Diane before turning back to make himself one. "Are you asking because of Chuck and Negan?"

"Yeah."

"Do _you_ believe in true mates?"

"I don't know." She sighs and rubs her hand down her face. "I've gone back and forth." She gestures from one side to the other as she says, "'True mates don't exist. Yes they do.'" She lets out a huff. "I went to talk to Chuck's omega doctor the other day about it."

Aaron turns around with his own coffee and leans on the counter to face his sister. "What did they say?"

"She didn't laugh me out of her office like I thought she would. She actually seemed to think true mates could happen."

He takes a sip. "I've always believed. It always just seemed beautiful to me. Being fated to be with someone."

"Well, It doesn't seem beautiful for my daughter to be inexplicably linked to a womanizing alpha that's old enough to be her father."

"Yeah. Negan's not exactly a knight in shining armor, is he?"

"I guess he had a mate, though. Chuck told me that. She died years ago."

Aaron nods a little. "I wonder if the womanizing happened _after_ he lost his omega. Like it changed him."

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Did you tell Chuck you think Negan is her alpha?"

"Hell no!" Diane exclaims. "She doesn't need any more reason to want to be with him."

"Isn't it a good thing if they're true mates, though? Won't that mean he'll take care of her?"

"I don't know. You know how alphas get possessive under normal circumstances. What if this makes him _crazy_ possessive? And he won't let Chuck out of his sight. Or gets violently jealous?"

"That's not gonna happen. 'Cause we're not gonna let it."

"What if we can't do anything about it, Aaron? What if he takes her from us?"

Aaron thinks it over for a moment. "We have to show him that's not an option."

Diane decides that she _does_ need to talk to Negan. Even if only just to get to know him a little better. But she doesn't want Chuck to know about it.

Later that day, Diane buzzes for Negan's apartment from outside the building and waits.

" _Who the fuck is it?_ " comes through the small speaker.

"Very charming," Diane mutters then pushes the button to answer. "It's Chuck's mother. I need to talk to you. Will you meet me down here?"

A moment passes, then the speaker turns back on. " _Yeah. Give me a fuckin' minute._ "

Negan slips his shoes on and leaves his apartment. When he gets to the sidewalk, he walks over to Diane. "So what do we need to talk about?"

"Let's go to that diner." She points to the old fashioned diner just down the street.

"Is this a date?" Negan jokes.

Diane shoots daggers at him with her eyes.

"Jesus Christ. Lighten up. I'm fuckin' kidding."

They sit at a booth in the diner and both order coffees. When the waitress provides them, then leaves, Negan and Diane just sit there, neither of them wanting to start the conversation.

"Did you invite me here just to you can sneer at me the whole goddamn time?" Negan finally breaks the silence.

"No. I want to talk to you about Chuck."

"I kinda fuckin' figured that."

"I don't like you with her."

"I am aware."

Diane lets out a huff. "But I really think you can't help yourself. And I don't think she can, either."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"I think you and Chuck are true mates," she blurts out.

Negan just stares at Diane for a moment, processing her words. Then he bursts out laughing. "Are you fucking kidding?!"

Diane isn't impressed with his reaction. "What?" she bites back.

"That's a fuckin' fairy tale. True mates don't exist! They only made that shit up back in medieval times so little omega girls wouldn't fuckin' off themselves when they realized they were basically sex slaves to whatever alpha was in power. You know, 'My alpha will come and take me away from this' kinda shit." He continues to laugh. "I didn't think fuckin' _adults_ believed that shit."

Diane looks around to the other diners as they try to be inconspicuous with their stares toward them. "Stop being an asshole," she hisses to Negan. "Are you honestly telling me that everything you feel when you're with Chuck is the same as any other omega?"

Negan calms down and thinks about it. When he doesn't answer, Diane knows she was right.

"That's what I thought."

Negan tries to walk it back. "I didn't fuckin' say anything. And I haven't even been around an omega for probably five goddamn years. So I don't even remember what normal is," he fibs. He's pretty sure she's never felt a pull towards an omega like he does with Chuck. No matter how hard he tries to lie to himself about it, he knows Chuck is different. Even from Lucille. And that scares him more than anything.

"Bullshit," Diane calls him out. "When was the last time you actually went into rut? Because I'm sure it wasn't from being around some random omega that hadn't even hit her full heat yet. Like what happened with Chuck."

"My ruts are none of your fuckin' business," he growls out in response.

She disregards him and continues. "I'm guessing your last rut was when you were _actually_ mated."

"What the fuck did you just say?" he says quietly.

"I know about your mate. You think Chuck wouldn't tell me about taking care of you when you were blackout drunk? Or why?"

Negan starts to breathe heavily. "What? Are you gonna fuckin' rub it in? Tell me that I couldn't fuckin' keep my mate. Tell me I couldn't fuckin' protect her and that's why you want me away from Chuck?"

Diane can see the pain his mate's death still causes him. "No. I would never do that." She lets out a sigh. "I'll never know what it's like for an alpha or omega to lose a mate like that. But I _did_ lose my husband. We were just betas, but it still felt like I lost my soulmate. He died almost twenty years ago and I think about him every day still. Wake up in the morning and reach out for him in my bed. So I would _never_ make light of what you went through." She pauses to order her thoughts. "I just meant that the last time you went into rut, it was with a person you had a profound bond to, right?"

Negan understands what she's getting at. "Yeah."

"So I don't think we can just dismiss that your cycle has synced with Chuck's."

"I went into rut once. I wouldn't exactly call that a fuckin' _cycle_."

"You know it wasn't a fluke."

"Why the fuck are you pushing this, Diane? Shouldn't you want to tell me that we're _not_ fuckin' compatible, since you hate me so goddamn much?"

"I don't hate you. I just..." she looks away and shakes her head.

"Don't think I'm fuckin good enough for her?" he finishes the sentence. "Well guess what? You're fuckin' right and I know it. I don't _want_ to be with her. I don't _want_ to fuckin' claim her and have her be mine. I don't want to be mated and fuckin' lose it again. I don't _want_ that shit. I _want_ her to find a good fuckin' man, not a piece of shit like me. But I can't..." He rubs his hand down his face. "I can't stop _wanting_ her. I fuckin' can't."

"That's what I'm talking about," Diane says gently. "I would rather have Chuck be with a man her own age. And not someone that brings home a different woman everyday."

Negan chuckles a little bit, wanting to lighten the tone. "I wouldn't say _every_ day."

"You know what I mean. But apparently Mother Nature has other plans for you two. And there's nothing I, or anyone else, can do about it

"Look. I'm not pursuing her, okay? We're being fuckin' neighborly and that's it," he fibs. It's true that he hasn't tried to get her in bed or anything, but that doesn't mean he hasn't wanted to or felt the push to.

Diane knows he's telling the truth. Chuck has told her about the things she's been doing with Negan and they've all been innocent. That has actually helped to change Diane's opinion of Negan. At least start to.

"I know. Chuck has been telling me about you."

Negan nods. "Apparently. I'd appreciate if you don't go fuckin' blabbing about my personal life to anyone."

"I won't." She shrugs a shoulder. "I may have told my brother about your past mate earlier."

"Jesus Christ," he mutters as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

"He practically raised Chuck, too. So... he's like her parent. And he wants to know about all of this."

"That particular chapter of my life isn't something I wanna fuckin' discuss. Or I want other people to fuckin' talk about."

"I understand. But..." She figures he won't answer her next question, but she's curious all the same. "How did she die?"

"I _literally_ just fuckin' said I don't want to talk-"

Diane cuts him off. "I know. But I think I should know. For Chuck's sake."

Negan shakes his head. "I didn't fucking _kill_ her, if that's what you're getting at."

"I don't think that. But I don't know..."

"He looks up at Diane and sighs. "She died of fuckin' cancer. Lycastoma."

Diane recognizes the name. It's a cancer that only affects omegas, starting in their lychastope glands and spreading throughout their reproductive organs and then through their bodies. Because of its rarity, there's not a lot of research done on it, which means survival rate is low.

"I'm sorry," she says sympathetically.

He hangs his head low. "It was too fuckin' late when we found it. She died within months." He lifts his gaze to look at Diane. "And that's the last fuckin' time I'll talk about Lucille with you."

"Okay. I know I look like an asshole right now, but Chuck is my only child and I'll do anything to keep her safe. That's what all this is about."

Negan nods. "I don't fuckin' blame you. I don't want Chuck to get hurt, either."

"Then we're in agreement." Diane pulls out her purse to pay for the coffees.

"No." Negan starts to pull out his wallet. "I'll get it."

Diane puts her hand up to stop him. "I asked you here, so I'll pay."

Negan shrugs a shoulder. "If you fuckin' insist."

As August turns into September, Chuck and Negan continue their casual friendly relationship. Both of them are hesitant to push for anything more, even if their instincts are telling them otherwise.

Chuck is sure that what she's feeling is just because Negan's a charming man that's giving her attention. She's used to being entirely ignored by the opposite sex, so her interactions with Negan are bound to brew up a schoolgirl crush. Or so she thinks.

Deep down, Negan knows that the pull he feels towards Chuck is something more than just wanting to pop his knot in an omega. But he's not willing to admit that she's his true mate. As far as he's concerned, they don't even exist. And Diane is being naive if she thinks otherwise.

But no matter how hard he tries to insist that he only likes the girl because she's sweet and nice to be around, there's still the times he feels the overwhelming urge to be close to her. The dreams he has of the omega next door almost every night. And then there's the way he can't help but think of ways to make her happy, be it with a home cooked meal or just joking around to make her laugh.

One day, Negan decides to do something more for Chuck. And maybe a little for himself, too. He gets everything ready then knocks on her door.

When Chuck sees through the peephole that it's Negan, dressed in a sleek black leather jacket, she opens the door and greets him. "Hey, Negan."

"Put on a coat and come with me," he tells her.

"Uh... I'm gonna need some more info."

Negan walks past Chuck into her apartment and goes straight to her closet.

"Negan, what are you doing?" she calls out as she follows him.

He pulls out a denim jacket and a pair of chunky boots, then hands them to her. "Put these on. I got a surprise for you."

Chuck lets out a huff as she thinks it over. It's not like she has any plans for today anyway... "Okay...?"

After Chuck puts the boots and jacket on, Negan leads her outside to the parking lot. When he gets to a motorcycle parked near the far edge, he turns around with his arms out wide as if to say "ta da".

"You bought a motorcycle?" Chuck asks.

"No. I rented it for the day." He picks up a helmet from the seat and walks over to Chuck. "I'm gonna take you on a fuckin' ride." He holds the helmet out for Chuck to take.

She just stands there. "You want me to ride on a motorcycle?"

"Yes." He wiggles the helmet to try to get her to take it.

"I don't know, Negan." She bites her lip in nervousness.

"Come on, sweetheart. It'll be fine." He takes a step forward and puts the helmet over her head. "Live a little." He straps the helmet for her then turns back to put his own helmet on. "Hop on." He gets on then pats the seat behind him.

Despite her nerves, she steps toward the machine.

"Swing your leg over." He takes her hand to help her keep her balance as she gets on the seat. "Put your arms around me."

"O-Oh. Okay." She tentatively places her hands on his waist.

He chuckles at her trepidation. "You gotta hang on tight or you'll fuckin' fall off, sweetheart. Just put your arms around me."

"Well... I don't want to molest you."

He laughs. "You're not gonna fuckin' molest me." He grabs her hands and pulls them around him. "Now hold on."

Chuck holds onto her other arm tightly, but tries to push her body away from Negan. It's not that she doesn't want to be close to him, really, it's just that she's so self conscious about herself. Especially now since she's gained weight.

She never thought she was big before. Just average. Not thin or sexy or anything. Nothing special. But in the months before her presentation, all she saw was that her clothes got tighter and she figured that meant that people would see her as fat. In reality, her omega presentation gave her curves and that's it. All of the weight gain was in her chest and hips, giving her a very pleasing hourglass shape. But she doesn't really see herself like that.

As soon as Negan starts the bike, Chuck's body issues fly out the window and she squeezes herself to him in fright. She's never been on a bike before, so it's an entirely new experience for her.

He chuckles at her reaction. "You good?"

"Yeah," she answers without loosening her grip.

Negan pulls out of the parking lot and heads out of the city. Once the cement jungle turns into forestland, Chuck relaxes a little and starts to enjoy the ride. Even though she's never had the want to get on a motorcycle, she can admit that she sees the appeal now. It's nice to be out in nature on a warm day, just looking at the world around you as it races by.

And having her arms wrapped around Negan isn't so bad, either. Not that she's going to freely admit that to anyone.

Negan turns down a back road and pulls up to a scenic overlook. They both get off the bike and remove their helmets.

"Did you like the ride?" Negan asks as he sets his helmet on the bike.

"Yeah," Chuck sets hers down, too. "I was nervous at first, but it was really nice. I can't wait to tell my uncle."

"He like motorcycles?"

"He used to. He fixed up this WWII bike when he was younger and drove it everywhere. But he got in a scary crash right after he got married and stopped riding. He was okay in the end, but it could've been a lot worse."

"His wife tell him to pack it in?"

"His _husband_ , actually. But I think it was a mutual decision."

Negan makes the "that's interesting" face and gestures to Chuck. "Come over here." He walks over to the railing situated on the edge of the cliff and rests his arms on it.

Chuck walks over to stand beside him and looks down to the wooded valley below. "Wow. It's really beautiful out here."

"I always liked this fuckin' area. I'd ride out here every fuckin' Sunday when it was warm enough. Just cruise around with no fuckin' agenda."

"Why'd you stop?"

"Sold my bike after..." He turns his head away from her then drops his gaze.

Chuck realizes what he wants to say. "Oh..."

He clears his throat and continues. "I loved that fuckin' bike. Harley. 1971 FX Superglide. Saw her in a parking lot for sale. She was all rusty, didn't fuckin' run, but I saw the potential. I completely rebuilt her all myself. Took a few years, but I did it. And, fuck, was she gorgeous."

Chuck giggles at him and the way he's talking about the bike like it's a person. "'She'?"

"Oh, yes." He smiles. "She was a fuckin' _lady_."

"Where is she now?"

His smile falls. "I don't fuckin' know. Some walking midlife crisis from Maryland bought her." He shrugs like he doesn't care, but Chuck knows he does.

"Well, maybe you can find another one to rebuild. Make a project of it again."

"And where exactly would I do that? In my living room?"

Chuck giggles. "Maybe," she jokes.

"Our landlords would fuckin' love that."

"You could just buy one. Still ride it out here in the summer."

He shakes his head. "I don't think so, honey." He can't really articulate why he wouldn't want to have a bike again. Especially because he doesn't really know, himself. It might be because it's almost like trying to get part of his old life back, which he still isn't ready to do. Or maybe he's just punishing himself for his past sins.

Chuck doesn't understand. "It just seems like you like riding a lot." She shrugs. "Just saying."

He turns his body to face her. "I think you just want me to get one so I can take _you_ on fuckin' rides," he teases, wanting to change the focus of the conversation.

She scrunches up her face. "That's not it."

"It is. You want to hop on the back of my bike and ride off into the sunset with me."

"No!" She feels her cheeks get red, thinking that Negan is teasing her because she has a crush on him. Which may or may not be true. When she sees that Negan has a huge smile on his face, she slaps his chest. "Stop teasing me!" She isn't angry with him, but she doesn't want him embarrassing her any further, either.

"Ouch!" He pretends to actually be hurt. "That was fuckin' vicious. I might have to call the cops."

Chuck can't help but laugh. "This seems like the perfect place to dump a body, you know." She puts on a gruff voice. "Cuz I ain't goin' back to jail," she jokes.

Negan laughs at her antics. "Goddamn, you're adorable."

She giggles, her cheeks still blazing. She didn't expect that reaction from him. "I guess," she says with a shrug. "I don't know if I would say 'adorable'. 'Weird', maybe."

"Nah. You're fuckin' adorable."

She shrugs again. "Okay."

Negan has the sudden urge to pull her to him, wrap his arms around her and kiss her hard, but he knows that would be a mistake. A sweet girl like her would fall for him. And when he inevitably fucks up (so he figures), her heart would get broken. Which he does _not_ want to happen.

"We should get going." He turns back to the motorcycle and gets on.

Chuck isn't sure why Negan's attitude changes so quickly, but she doesn't question it. When they finally get to their building and up to their floor, Chuck turns to Negan before he can go through his door.

"Thanks." She blurts out. "For taking the time and doing something with me."

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

"It was really nice of you and you didn't have to do it. You do a lot for me and I just want you to know that I appreciate it."

Negan looks back to her in confusion. Sure, he's done some friendly neighbor things with her, but nothing that special. "You're acting like no one's ever done anything nice for you."

She just shrugs, not wanting to admit such a sad thing. Even if it's true.

With that, Negan realizes that maybe no one has ever reached out to this sheltered girl. That maybe she just needs a little nudge to get her out of her self exile. "I'm gonna take you to a fuckin' baseball game at some point, too."

Chuck scrunches up her face. She's never been into sports and baseball seems particularly boring to her.

"Don't fuckin' make that face. Baseball's the national pastime! And I've watched you play fuckin' video games, so you owe me."

Chuck laughs. "You had a good time watching me play, didn't you? You laughed, anyway."

"Some of that shit was pretty goddamn entertaining, I'll fuckin' admit. But baseball's fuckin' entertaining, too."

"Okay. I'll go to a game with you." She smiles up at him. "Since I owe you."

Negan can't help but smile, too. "I'll hold you to that."

A week later, Negan is on his way to Simon's bar. It's early on a Saturday night, so he's lucky to beat the crowd. He waves to Simon when he walks through, but Simon is busy talking to a customer and doesn't notice Negan right away. It's then that Negan sees who Simon is talking to. And it about makes his blood boil.

Eldritch is seated in Negan's usual seat, drinking Negan's usual drink, and chatting with one of the only people that Negan actually opens up to. All on purpose, of course. It had become abundantly clear to Eldritch that just trying to get Chuck to be with him wouldn't work. Negan also had to be dealt with, too. Pushed out of the picture. So that's what he's doing now.

Negan stomps over to the alpha that he's grown to dislike so much. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he growls out.

"Getting a drink," Eldritch answers smugly. "What else do you do in a bar?"

It takes everything in Negan not to punch this douche in the throat.

"You two know each other?" Simon cuts in, wondering if he's going to have to separate the two alphas to keep the peace in his establishment.

"We've met," Negan answers tersely.

"I'm friends with his neighbor," Eldritch provides.

"You're her _boss_. You're not fuckin' _friends_ with her."

"This the neighbor you complained about?" Simon asks. "What's her name? Charlie?"

"Chuck," Negan corrects.

Eldritch chuckles under his breath at this new information. That's something he might be able to use against Negan. "Does she know you complain about her?"

"None of your fuckin' business," Negan bites back.

Eldritch casually takes a drink of his beer. "It seems like that should be _her_ business."

Negan lets out a huff. "Stay the fuck away from Chuck." He's not exactly worried about the threat. The only time he complained about Chuck was when they were fighting months ago. And she already knows that he wasn't exactly happy with her behavior back then. But he still doesn't want Eldritch around her. For any reason.

"That's not gonna happen, Negan." A sinister smile spreads across his face. "She's my _employee_. She needs to work with me."

He steps in closer. "Don't fuckin' act like you're only interested in her because she's a good fuckin' worker. All you want is to pop your goddamn knot and you know it!" Negan spits out.

"Knot?" Simon calls out in confusion. He knows that alphas can only knot omegas. "Is your neighbor an omega?" Negan had never told him about Chuck's presentation, so this is news to him.

Negan lets out a heavy breath then turns to Simon. "It's a long story."

"Doesn't seem like it," Simon replies. "She either is or she isn't."

"It's not that fuckin' simple."

"She's newly presented," Eldritch starts to explain, just to get on Negan's nerves.

Negan whips his head to Eldritch. "You don't know shit."

"I know more than you think."

Negan suddenly realizes just how weird it is that Eldritch is in Simon's bar. He had never set foot in there before and _now_ he's choosing to try the place out? The place that is Negan's regular haunt? That can't be a coincidence.

Grabbing Eldritch by the collar, Negan pulls him to face him. "You stay the fuck away from Chuck and you stay the fuck away from me."

Eldritch shoots up from the stool and pushes Negan's hands off him. Before he can do anything further, Simon interrupts.

"That's enough!" he yells. "I'm not having a cock fight in here. Take it outside!"

Negan doesn't move his gaze from Eldritch as he stands just inches away from the other alpha. "I'm fuckin' leaving." Negan stares Eldritch down for another moment then turns to leave. It's not worth it to get into fist fight with him. He just hopes that Eldritch heeds his warning about Chuck and backs off.

After he leaves, he goes straight home. But instead of going to his own door, he goes to Chuck's.

She answers the door a moment later. "Hey, Negan," she greets with a smile.

"Are you okay?" he asks quickly.

"Yes...? Why? Should I be worried about something?"

Even though he has this odd feeling of dread, he doesn't want Chuck to worry about anything. "Nah, sweetheart." He puts a smile on his face. "I'm just checking in on you."

"Okay...?"

"If you fuckin' need me, I'm gonna be home."

"Okay, Negan. I'll keep that in mind." She isn't sure what's going on with Negan, but it seems like he's not going to tell her, so she doesn't push. "Goodnight."

He gives her a nod then turns to enter his apartment. After cracking open a few beers and watching a movie or two, he hears a knock at his door. It's late, so he's confused as to why anyone would want to come to his apartment. Unless it's Chuck...

He jumps up from his couch and opens his door. But it's not Chuck standing in the hallway.

"Tonya?" he says to the young beta woman that he hasn't seen in several months. She was always good for some kinky no strings attached sex, but he hasn't requested her company in a long time.

Instead of answering, Tonya unbuttons her trench coat and drops it to the floor, revealing her naked form clad in only black stilettos. Negan just stands there dumbfounded, unsure of why this woman is standing bare at his door.

Simultaneously, Chuck's phone chimes signaling a text message. Even though it's late, Chuck is still awake, being a natural night owl. When she picks up her phone to see who would be texting her now (knowing that her mother and uncle aren't usually up at this time and they're really the only ones she texts), she's surprised to see that it's Negan. They had exchanged numbers weeks ago, but never really texted each other. It always seemed easier just to knock on the other's door if they wanted to talk, considering it is only a few feet away.

 _Come over right now. I have a surprise for you. ;)_ shows on her screen.

She tucks the phone into her pocket and goes to her door, intent on walking over to Negan's. But when she opens the door, she's hit with the image of a naked beta woman with black hair trailing down her thin back standing in front of Negan, who is perched his doorway with a goofy smile on his face.

Tonya turns around at the sound and immediately picks her coat up to cover herself. "Shit, Negan! You told me your neighbor was away!"

That breaks Negan out of his stupor. "What?!" he calls out in confusion. He hasn't even talked to Tonya in months, so he has no idea what she's talking about.

Chuck doesn't say anything. Her whole face turns red from a combination of embarrassment and anger. When her eyes finally meet with Negan's, she can't even bear to look at him. She turns right back around and goes back inside her apartment.

"Wait!" he calls out then turns to Tonya. "What the fuck are you doing here? You know not to come unless I ask for you," he spits out.

"You _did_ ask for me, asshole?"

"I did fucking not!"

"We've been texting each other for an hour! Are you getting senile, old man?!"

Negan growls, being completely done with all of this. "The fuck I did! I haven't been texting fucking _anyone_ all night."

Tonya knows not to push the alpha anymore. "Whatever." She turns and walks away, still confused at what just happened.

Negan lets out a sigh as he rubs his hand down his face. "Jesus Christ. What the fuck?" he mutters to himself. He knows that Chuck is upset with what she saw and he has to fix it right now before it gets worse. "Chuck?" he calls to her door then knocks on it. "That wasn't what you thought. Just open up so I can explain."

Chuck shakes her head as she hears Negan call out to her. She doesn't want to admit that when she saw that woman, jealously was the first thing she thought, so she pushes that down to focus instead on how offended she is. She had only left her apartment because of the text message she received from Negan. So the logical conclusion would be that Negan wanted her to see the naked woman. For what reason, she's not sure. Maybe to show her what Negan wants in a woman, or to invite her into a threesome? Or maybe just to show off that he can sleep with whoever he wants? Whatever it is, Chuck is thoroughly unimpressed.

"I have no fuckin' idea why she showed up like that," he tries. It is true, after all.

This gets Chuck to open her door, but not because she wants to hear him out. "Really?" she bites back. "You expect me to believe that?"

"It's the fuckin' truth!"

She lets out a huff. "Whatever this is, I don't want any part of it, Negan. I don't want to be part of your games."

"I don't have any fuckin' idea what's going on."

She laughs without any humor. "Do you think I'm that stupid?" She shakes her head. "You know what, I don't care what you do with your women, but bringing me into all this then _lying_ about it is low, Negan."

"I didn't fuckin' do anything! I swear! She just showed up!"

Chuck has had enough and starts to close her door, but Negan holds out his hand to stop her.

"Calm down and listen to me," he tries, but Chuck isn't hearing it.

"Let go of my door," she commands. She's filled with emotions that she doesn't really want to deal with and it's making her more upset.

"Just listen-"

"Let go of my door, Negan!" she cries. "Leave me alone!"

Negan stares at her for a moment, knowing how upset she is. She's not going to listen to him right now no matter what, so despite the fact that he wants to fix this, he knows that he's going to have to let her cool down. "Okay." He takes his hand off her door and steps back just in time for her to slam it in his face.

Negan lets out a heavy breath. Everything had been going so well and now it's all blown up in his face. And _he_ didn't even do anything to deserve it, for once. Now he just has to figure out what the hell happened so he can convince Chuck not to hate him. Again.


	8. Part 8

After Chuck slams her door shut on Negan, she plops herself back down on her couch and scrubs her hands down her face. Seeing Negan with that naked woman has brought out pretty much every negative emotion Chuck could possibly feel. Jealousy, inadequacy, betrayal, loneliness... Not to mention that she feels _stupid_ for even feeling all those things.

Negan was just her neighbor and her friend. Right? They weren't linked romantically, so he can date other people. Or sleep around, since that seems more likely with Negan. But she hadn't seen him with any women in a long time, so she thought maybe... Maybe he had changed his ways. And if he did, maybe he could be the one for her.

As a tear flows down her cheek, Chuck lets out a humorless chuckle. "What's wrong with me?" she says to herself then wipes her eyes. "I'm so stupid. Negan wants the sexy woman that shows up to his apartment naked. Not someone like me. Of course not." She hangs her head. "Not me," she whispers.

Over at Negan's apartment, he's at a loss. He goes through his phone to see just when the last time he texted Tonya was and sees that it was, indeed, months ago. It's a little reassuring that he's not going completely crazy. But the fact of the matter is, he's still in a pickle with Chuck.

He hasn't exactly been celibate since Chuck presented and they started whatever it is that they are, but he hasn't brought a woman to his apartment, either, opting to go elsewhere to hook up. He really didn't want Chuck to see him as the manwhore that she used to think he was when he was having purposefully loud sex all the time just to get to her. Not that he wasn't still sleeping around, but he didn't want her to see it. Or hear it.

He knows he's going to have some explaining to do to get him out of this. Especially because Chuck seemingly doesn't believe that he didn't ask Tonya to come over. Naked, no less. He makes plans to talk to her the next day, allowing her the time to cool off a little. Hopefully.

When Chuck gets up the next morning, she tries to put the events of the previous night out of her mind. As she goes through her normal daily rituals, she tries to convince herself that she's actually not bothered by what she saw. So what if Negan invited a woman over. That's his right. He's not attached to anyone. Especially not her. They're just friends and she shouldn't really have any feelings about him sleeping with someone else. That's what she tells herself, anyway.

But his weird invitation for Chuck to see his kinky sex games _does_ still warrant some anger. Because that still seems pretty offensive to her. So that's what she focuses on. She's not jealous, she's offended. She's not betrayed, she's offended. She's not _hurt_ , she's offended.

Since it's Sunday, Negan has the day off. In the early afternoon, he walks across the hall and knocks on Chuck's door. She hears it from where she's sitting at her computer desk in the living room, but she makes no move to answer it. She knows it's Negan standing outside of her apartment and she doesn't even want to deal with him right now.

Negan lets out a huff when she doesn't answer. He knows she's ignoring him. But pushing her into talking when she doesn't want to would probably be the wrong thing to do. He's just going to have to give her more time.

When Diane calls a little bit later just to check in, Chuck tells her about what happened.

"What a sleazeball!" Diane exclaims into the phone.

Chuck sighs. "Yeah."

"I'm gonna drive up there and beat his ass for thinking you'd want anything to do with that!"

"You don't need to do that." She sighs again. "I just don't understand why he wanted me to see all that."

"Just when I thought he was coming around..." Diane mutters then lets out a heavy breath. "He's a jackass and he just can't help himself." This new information doesn't change the fact that Diane thinks Negan and Chuck are true mates. It just makes her worry once again that he'll hurt Chuck in the end.

"I don't know... Can we just talk about something else now?"

"Don't be upset about it, sweetie. He's..." She thinks of what to say. "He's just... That's how alphas are. They're selfish bastards mostly. Don't blame yourself."

Chuck wishes it were that simple. "Okay, Mom."

Negan tries again before dinner thinking that maybe he could bribe Chuck into talking to him with the promise of a home cooked meal. But there's no such luck, she ignores him completely again. It actually kind of pisses him off a little bit. How can he make it right if she won't even give him a chance?

Later on in the night, Chuck decides that she really should do her laundry, since her hamper is overflowing. She gets her little bag of quarters and throws them on top of her dirty clothes along with two smaller cups of detergent and fabric softener, hauling the heavy hamper out of her door soon after.

Negan hears Chuck leave her apartment and decides that's his chance. When he opens his own door, he sees that Chuck is half way to the elevator with a hamper on her hip.

"Let me get that," he calls out as he jogs to catch up to her.

She lets out a little huff. "I got it," she answers without turning back to him.

"Here." He tries to take the hamper from her but she jerks away, causing the bag of quarters and her detergent to fall to the ground. Thankfully, the cup stays closed and doesn't make a mess.

She growls in frustration then shoves the clothes into Negan's chest for him to hold. "Fine." She bends down to pick up her money and soap then turns to call the elevator.

He's getting frustrated, too, but he doesn't say anything, not wanting to make her even more angry than she already is. Once they get inside the elevator, Negan decides to be casual to maybe get on her good side.

"You know, it's pretty fuckin' smart to put the detergent in a smaller cup. My dumb ass schleps the whole fuckin' bottle back and forth every time."

Chuck doesn't look over to him as she stands to his left in the elevator, but she decides to be civil, too. Since he _is_ actually helping her and being polite right now.

"I found that out the hard way. I accidentally dropped a full bottle and the cap popped off. It is surprisingly difficult to clean up soap off the ground. Especially like a gallon of it."

Negan chuckles at her story. "Yeah. That sounds pretty shitty."

They enter the empty laundry room and Negan sets the hamper by one of the machines.

"Looks like we get our fuckin' pick. There's no one in here."

Chuck puts her quarters in the machine to start a load. "That's why I do my laundry late."

"I'm gonna have to do that more often. Sometimes I gotta fuckin' fight to get to a dryer."

As Chuck puts her clothes into the washer, Negan just stands by looking for the right time to bring up what he wants to say. When the occasion doesn't arise naturally, he just blurts it out.

"I didn't ask Tonya to come over like that. Or fuckin' at all."

Chuck lets out a groan. "I'm not talking about this."

"Then just fuckin' listen."

"I'm not 'listening' about it either." She slams the lid shut hoping that he'll drop it. She doesn't want Negan to know how much it hurt her. If she has to talk about it with him, there's no way she'll be able to hide it.

"You're not giving me a fuckin' chance to expla-"

"I don't _need_ to give you a chance."

He scrubs his hands down his face. "You're really getting on my fuckin' nerves with this, little girl," he growls out.

She uses sarcasm as a defense. "I'm _very_ sorry to inconvenience you."

That's it. "What the fuck, Chuck?! You're pissed at me because you think I had some fuckin' woman over, but you won't fuckin' believe me when I tell you that I didn't!"

Chuck laughs in disbelief. "I _saw_ her there, Negan!"

He shakes his head. "That's not what I meant. I know she was there. But she just fuckin' showed up! On her own! And _I'm_ the fuckin' bad guy for that!"

"You really expect me to believe that?!"

He throws his hands up. "It's the fuckin' truth! I have _no_ idea what got into Tonya."

She leans toward him, tears building in her eyes. "Then _why_ did you want me to see her?"

He shakes his head in confusion, totally unaware that "he" had texted Chuck last night, too. "What?"

"If that woman showing up was just random happenstance, what was it you wanted to show me last night? Huh?" she asks harshly, thinking that he wouldn't be able to come up with a lie to cover himself. But she doesn't know that in reality, he's telling the truth. "Because it really seems like you wanted to parade your girlfriend or one night stand or whatever she is to you in front of me."

He shakes his head in confusion. "I didn't want to show you _anything_ last night!"

She laughs humorlessly as a tear starts to fall down her cheek. "I might be able to accept that you didn't text that woman. That she came over unannounced. But you really expect me to believe that you didn't text _me_? When I read the text _myself_? How stupid and gullible do you think I am?"

Seeing her upset has Negan calming down so he can comfort her. "I don't think you're stupid, baby girl. But I _didn't_ text you." He fishes his phone out of his pocket. "Look for yourself. There aren't any texts to you. Or any recent ones to Tonya."

She wipes her cheeks. "That doesn't mean much. You could've deleted them."

"I don't know how to fuckin' delete them. I'm not good with all this technology shit." He keeps his hand outstretched, hoping Chuck would look at his phone and see that he isn't lying.

She finally looks down to it. His phone is one of the cheap smart phones that usually comes free when you sign a contract. Not exactly a high end brand name phone. She takes it in her hands, figuring that he had lied and deleted the texts to try to "prove" his story. But she can dig in to recover those deleted texts. Or so she thinks.

As she brings up his messaging app, it really does look like he's never deleted a text since he got that phone. There are tons of conversation from people and automated texts alike. It would drive her nuts if her own phone were kept like this. Of course, there aren't any texts from last night, but she really wasn't expecting there to be. When she tries to see what texts he's deleted, she is surprised to find that there aren't any. It really does seem like he's telling the truth.

She's shocked and confused. She really did think he was lying to her. Why wouldn't she? Everything was pointing to that. Especially since the alternative is... what? How could she and another woman get texts from Negan's number but those texts didn't come from his phone?

It's then that Chuck realizes that Negan's phone feels hotter than it probably should. "Is your phone always this hot?" She sniffles and wipes her face, calming down slightly as her focus has shifted.

Negan is confused at the change, but still answers. "I think it's shitting the bed. It's been like that for a few days. And I gotta plug it in all the fuckin' time."

Chuck looks through his phone more until she finds something she never would have expected. Someone had apparently put software that would secretly run in the background on his phone. Software that would remotely control and clone his phone. Software that would allow someone else to send texts from his number without him knowing it.

He _was_ telling the truth. She was wrong.

But what does this all mean?

Chuck looks up to Negan, knowing that she has to apologize for how she treated him. "I'm sorry. I believe you now," she chokes out as she looks him in the eyes. She feels very stupid for the way she acted, so before he can respond, she covers her face and turns away from him in embarrassment as her tears start to flow.

Negan automatically takes a step forward to comfort her. "It's okay, sweetheart." He rubs his hands over her arms as she faces away from him. He doesn't know what she saw that has her believing him, but he'll take it. "Don't worry about it."

She sniffles. "I shouldn't have acted that way. You were telling the truth. I just thought..."

"I don't fuckin' blame you."

When she's calms down a little bit, she turns back to Negan. "Someone hacked your phone."

"What?" he calls out in shock.

"Someone remotely controlled your phone." She hands it back to Negan. "That's why your battery is hot and draining so fast. Your phone can't really handle the extra software. And that's where the texts came from. Someone else texted me and that lady to go over to your apartment."

He shakes his head, trying to figure this all out. "So..." He scratches his beard. "My phone...?"

"Someone wanted to mess with you, I guess. Did you make anyone mad recently?"

Negan's face drops as he puts it all together. "Yeah. Your piece of shit boss."

"What?"

"You know he hates my fuckin' guts from when I met him at that cafe. And last night. I ran into him at a goddamn bar. That fuckin' prick."

"You think Eldritch did this?"

"Yeah. I _know_ Eldritch fuckin' did this."

Chuck shakes her head, unable to wrap her head around it. "But why?"

"Why do you think?"

She looks down and thinks it over. She honestly doesn't even consider that she could be the reason. "Did you say something to him that day at the cafe to upset him?"

"Chuck." He shakes his head. "It's because he wants _you_ and I'm a fuckin' threat to that."

"That can't be..." She shakes her head. "He wouldn't... Because of _me_? That's crazy."

"Think about it. Who would want you to be pissed off at me? Cuz that's the only fuckin' reason I can think to send a naked fuckin' woman to my door then tell you to come out."

She really doesn't want to believe that that's true. "Why would he want me?"

"Look, sweetheart." He rakes his hand through his hair, not exactly wanting to expose Chuck to a difficult truth. "You know the last time I actually saw an unmated omega that was of age before you?"

She shakes her head.

"I fuckin' married her."

"Oh." She realizes that he's talking about Lucille. And that would have been like twenty years ago.

"In case you haven't noticed, omegas are fuckin' rare and they get mated young. A shit ton of alphas never fuckin' get with an omega in their entire lives. So some alphas can lose their shit when they actually find an unmated one. And some of them will do fuckin' _anything_ to get her."

"Anything?" she responds quietly, not really wanting to believe that.

He nods. " _Anything_."

She looks up to Negan, just trying to process all of this. "Do you think Eldritch is ...dangerous?"

"I'm not gonna take any fuckin' chances. I want you to stay with me tonight. And I'm gonna call my fuckin' cop friend to see what we can do legally with all this shit."

"God..." Chuck looks away. That news scares her a little. Should she really be worried about her boss doing something to her?

"Give me your phone." Negan holds his hand out to her. "I don't want to make a fuckin' call on mine."

She digs it out of her pocket and hands it over, both of them unaware that Eldritch has hacked her phone, too.

Negan dials his friend Rick's number. He's the sheriff in a little town outside of the city. He had moved up north from Georgia with his son when he caught his wife cheating on him with his partner a few years prior. When he needed to buy a new car soon after, he went to Negan's dealership and that's how they met. They aren't exactly best friends, but they've kept in touch.

As soon as the call goes through, Eldritch gets an alert on his laptop in his apartment across the city. Knowing that Chuck rarely makes calls this late, he pulls the computer off his bedside table and into his lap, turning his speakers up to listen in.

Negan lets out a huff as the phone rings on the other end. "Come on, Rick. Answer."

Finally, he does. "Who is this?" he growls out, half asleep.

"It's Negan."

"Jesus," Rick groans as he runs his free hand down his face. "It's past midnight."

"Your beauty sleep is gonna hafta wait. I need to talk to you at my apartment."

"No, Negan. I gotta be up at five in the morning tomorrow."

Negan groans. "It's an emergency."

"Call 911."

"Goddamnit, Rick. It's not an _emergency_ emergency. Some crazy fucker fucked with my phone and I'm pretty sure he's stalking me and my neighbor. I need your fuckin' cop input."

When Eldritch hears that, a shiver runs down his spine. "Shit," he mutters and sits up straighter in his bed. Negan and Chuck must have found the software he put on Negan's phone and they're telling a cop about it. Eldritch needs to cover his tracks and he needs to do it now before this cop gets officially involved.

He minimizes the program playing the audio from Chuck's phone and opens the one used to control Negan's phone, praying to god that it's still turned on. When he sees that it is, he lets out a sigh of relief, but he doesn't have a lot of time to get this done. So it's going to have to be quick and dirty, which means wiping Negan's phone clean of all data. Sure, it isn't exactly inconspicuous, but they already know it's been tampered with. This is just to save his own ass from that cop they're talking to.

Eldritch knows that he needs to get the software off of Chuck's phone, too. They obviously don't think it's hacked, since Negan is currently using it, so Eldritch has the time to delete the programs one by one and cover his tracks more discretely. Losing that window into Chuck's life sucks, but he'd rather her not know he's been listening in on her. He'd just have to get his info some other way.

Meanwhile, Rick lets out a huff that Negan can clearly hear on the other end.

"It's _important_ , okay. Aren't you supposed to fuckin' protect and serve, anyway. This falls under both."

"Fine," Rick hisses. "Give me a little bit."

Chuck and Negan stay in the basement to finish up with the laundry. As Chuck is pulling her now dry clothes from the dryer, Negan walks up to her.

"You can fold those upstairs. Rick should be fuckin' getting here soon."

"Okay."

Negan bends down to pick up Chuck's clothes and they head back upstairs. He sets the hamper on his couch and Chuck starts to fold. Negan can't sit still, though, and paces his living room, waiting for Rick to arrive.

It puts Chuck on edge even more. "Will you just sit down?"

Negan lets out a huff then sits next to Chuck's hamper. He watches her fold her clothes for a moment, but it doesn't quiet his racing thoughts. He hops right back up and starts to pace again.

He pauses his motion to turn to her. "You realize this is really fucked up, right?"

"I know it is."

"You're kind of not acting like it."

Of course, Chuck is freaking out a little. Her knee jerk reaction is to believe Negan and mirror his distrust of Eldritch. But then she starts to overthink it. Sure, Eldritch made her a little uncomfortable that one time, but he was fine all the other times she's talked to him. And there really isn't any concrete evidence that it was him. What if she accuses him and he's innocent? Not only would she lose her job, but she might ruin a good man's reputation. She doesn't realize that she's trying to talk herself out of having to face the scary reality that someone she's close to might want to do her harm.

"What if Eldritch didn't do it?" she asks quietly.

"He did and you know it. He works with fuckin' computers," Negan lists off. "He tried to get you alone on multiple occasions. He knows we're close." He gestures between the two of them. "And who the fuck else would send naked Tonya to my door _just_ so you could see her?"

Chuck shrugs. Negan is making a convincing case, even if Chuck is too scared to want to believe it.

"Eldritch wanted you to see Tonya and get pissed enough at me to run right into his goddamn arms. I wouldn't be fuckin' surprised if he's planning on calling you tomorrow morning to 'check up' on you, or some shit. Ask you out to fuckin' brunch to talk it out. Convince you of what a piece of shit I am so he can make his move."

"Okay, Negan," she calls out in an unsteady voice. Having to face the very real possibility that someone she knows is trying to manipulate her life to get close to her is upsetting her.

Negan takes a step forward to comfort her, but is interrupted by a knock at the door. A quick look through the peephole shows that it's Rick, so Negan opens the door and ushers the beta officer into his apartment. He's not in his full uniform, just his khaki pants and undershirt.

Rick shakes Chuck's hand then turns to Negan, who is walking back to them near the couch. "So what's this emergency?" he asks with some attitude.

Chuck moves her clothes so that she and Negan can sit on the couch. Rick takes the arm chair and turns it so that he can see them easily. He pulls out a notebook and pen from his pocket and starts to write.

"It's her boss," Negan starts. "Eldritch Ruben," he clarifies slowly so that Rick can write the name in his notebook. "He hacked into my phone and fuckin' texted her and this other woman pretending to be me."

Rick looks up from his paper. "Why did he do that?"

Negan answers. "He's an alpha and he wants her." He gestures to Chuck.

"How long have you been dating?" Rick asks, not looking up from his writing. He clearly saw that the omega isn't claimed when he came in, but he still assumes that the pair in front of them are a couple.

"Uh," Chuck answers meekly. "We're not dating. We're just friends."

Rick looks up from his notebook, wondering if he really heard what he thought he did. He thought for sure these two people were together, but it seems they aren't. "Okay." He moves his gaze from Chuck to Negan then back again. "But he has reason to believe that Negan stands in his way?"

Chuck flits her eyes over to Negan, but doesn't answer the question.

Negan does, though. "Yeah. I interrupted a fuckin' inappropriate lunch date they were fuckin' having and she left with me."

"Inappropriate?" Rick asks, directing the question to no one in particular as he continues to take notes.

Negan looks over to Chuck, who isn't sure what to say. "Well, you looked scared," he finally says.

"I wasn't _scared_ ," she clarifies. "He was just kinda weird."

"Weird how?" Rick asks again.

"I mean, he asked me out to lunch and I thought other people I work with would be there, but it was just us. Then he ordered my meal for me without asking what I wanted. And he was..." She looks over to Negan for a moment, "...trying to get me to have dinner with him even though I told him I had plans."

Negan didn't know that part. And he remembers that those plans she had were with him. It makes him have to hold back the growl threatening to escape his throat.

Rick knows that's not amounting up to much, but he wants to be diligent. Even if this seems like it's not going to lead to anything. "So what's going on with this phone?"

Negan pulls it out of his pocket and hands it to Chuck. After all, he doesn't know what the evidence is on it. "She can show you." He turns to Rick to explain the situation as Chuck tries to bring up what she found earlier. "He texted this girl I know as me and told her to come to my apartment fuckin' naked. Then he texted Chuck to fuckin' come over, too, so she'd see-"

"Uh," Chuck interrupts as she frantically swipes at Negan's phone. "There's nothing here."

"You can't find it?" Negan asks.

She looks up from the phone to Negan. "It's not here. _Nothing_ is here. Your phone has been wiped. There's no data on it at all."

"What?" Negan leans over to look at his phone. It's just a blank screen and a blinking cursor. "How...?"

Chuck looks back down to the phone. "Eldritch must've put some sort of failsafe in the code or something. To coverup what he did if someone accessed it," she figures. She has no idea that Eldritch was tipped off by listening in on her own phone.

Rick clears his throat and closes his notebook. "This isn't much to go on," he voices.

Negan immediately gets defensive. "Really? You don't believe us?"

"I believe you, Negan. But my hands are tied. There's no evidence that any laws were broken."

"What about all the shit we told you!?"

Rick shakes his head. "Awkward lunch dates aren't a crime."

"And the fuckin' phone?"

"If there's no evidence..." Rick rubs his hand down his beard. "This isn't exactly my jurisdiction, but... I can take the phone and ask some of the guys at the lab to look it over as a favor. If they find something, I'll pass it off to the right people." He pulls out his phone and searches for whose jurisdiction this would actually fall under. He writes the name and number of one of the detectives he actually knows on the back of his own card. "This is my number," he holds the card out to Chuck then flips it over, "and this is Detective Gabby Hendricks. This would fall under her jurisdiction. And she's a good cop."

Chuck takes the card and nods.

Negan glares at Rick. "So that's it?"

"My advice," Rick comments, "stay away from this guy. If he comes to you, document it. Take pictures, video. Write it down." Rick looks directly at Negan. "Do _not_ go looking for him. Do not engage him. If you do, he can call the cops on _you_ , which would complicate things." He turns to Chuck. "If he does anything at work, go to HR immediately. Have them document it. The more evidence we have against this guy, the better."

Negan lets out a huff, completely dissatisfied. "Are you fuckin' saying we can't do anything until he does? So we just wait around until he hurts her?!"

Rick nods slowly. "Unfortunately, that's the case. He has rights, too. We can't just lock him up with no evidence against him. I sincerely hope he doesn't go far enough to actually hurt you guys, but..." He shrugs.

"This is fuckin' bullshit!"

Rick looks between the pair in front of him. "One thing..." He looks to Negan. "If she was claimed, it would strengthen the case. It wouldn't be an alpha against an omega, it would be an alpha against an _alpha's_ omega. And cops would be more likely to step in."

Chuck completely misses the implication that Rick is suggesting Negan claim her and goes right to how horrible the social climate is for omegas. "Really?" she calls out in disgust. "An omega isn't person enough on her own? She's only worthwhile when she's an alpha's property?"

Negan, of course, gets what Rick is saying. But when Chuck glosses over it, he decides not to bring it up. He doesn't exactly want to get into that conversation right now, anyway.

Rick holds his hands up in a placating manner. "I'm just saying... Laws may have changed, but the people enforcing them haven't. Most of the guys on the bench became judges decades ago when things were different. And cops around here are no better."

"This sucks ass, Rick," Negan comments.

"I know." Rick stands up. "But it is what it is. If he threatens either of you, call 911 immediately. That's all I can tell you." He heads to the door with Negan trailing behind.

As Negan sees Rick out, he speaks quietly so Chuck can't hear him. "You know this can get fuckin' ugly."

Rick nods. "Things tend to when two alphas are competing," he responds in a whisper.

"And Chuck could get caught in the crossfire. I do _not_ want that girl to get fuckin' hurt."

Rick glances back over to the new omega he's just met as she gets back to folding her clothes. "If you don't mind me asking, why haven't you claimed her? She not want you?"

Negan looks down. "It's fuckin' complicated."

Rick can see clearly that Negan cares about this woman, so the fact that they're not together is confusing. "A claim would _un_ complicate this situation. If she was yours and he threatened that in any way, we could go after him."

Negan shakes his head. There's no way he's going to explain everything to Rick right now. "I'm not fuckin' claiming her. But I'm not gonna let any-fuckin'-thing happen to her."

Rick nods again, realizing that Negan isn't going to go into any detail about it. "Just be smart about all of this."

"I'm not gonna do anything to put Chuck in fuckin' harm's way."

After Rick leaves, Negan goes back to the couch just as Chuck finishes with her clothes.

He lets out a sigh as he sits down. "You can take the bed, I'll sleep on the fuckin' couch."

"No. I can get the couch. You wont even fit on it." She sits down beside him.

"No way in hell I'm making you sleep out here."

She knows it would be useless to fight him. "Well... Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Do you need to go to bed? Since you have to go to work in the morning."

"I'm gonna call off."

"You don't have to do that for me."

"I know I don't fuckin' _have_ to. But I'm going to."

"I'm supposed to go into the office on Wednesday," she admits quietly.

"Shit." He rubs his hand down his face. "Do you have to?"

"Kind of. But I think it'll be okay to go in. I mean, there are lots of people there."

He's not so sure, but he doesn't want to scare Chuck. "Yeah," is all he responds with.

She stands from the couch. "I should take my clothes over home and get ready for bed."

Negan groans as he stands, too. He picks up Chuck's hamper and carries it to the door. He insists on entering her apartment first, as if Eldritch were lying in wait to jump out at them. But, of course, that's not the case.

Chuck goes into her room to change into a pair of sleep shorts and purple fuzzy slippers, leaving on the Evil Dead T-shirt that she had been wearing. Though she did take her bra off. After she brushes her teeth and washes her face, she comes back out to a waiting Negan.

He looks her over, trying not to linger on her ample breasts, since she is now braless. He drops his gaze and lets out a chuckle once he sees her choice of footwear. "Nice slippers."

"Don't judge." She wiggles her toes a little. "You don't know what you're missing. These things are comfy."

They go back over to Negan's and go to bed, Negan, in just a pair of pajama pants, scrunched up on his couch and Chuck in his bed. Despite the events of the night, Chuck finds herself completely relaxed in the bed, surrounded by Negan's scent. She rolls around on his expensive plush mattress in his high thread count sheets and seriously thinks about chucking out her entire bed and buying a new one.

"You okay in there?" Negan calls out after hearing her continued movement.

Her cheeks instantly get hot when she hears him through the opened door. "Yes. Your bed is just a lot more comfortable than mine," she responds, trying not to sound embarrassed that she got caught. "I'm just trying to enjoy it."

Negan tries to push the thought of Chuck enjoying herself in his bed from his thoughts. He knows she didn't mean the way it sounded, but that's instantly where his mind went. He takes a deep breath and wills his dick to calm down.

When Negan doesn't say anything further, she curses herself for acting weird. "Goodnight," she calls out, hoping he'll forget how awkward she is.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," he responds.

While Chuck almost instantly falls asleep, Negan can't help but stay awake. Part of it is because he's still in battle mode, ready to fight off the perceived threat of Eldritch. But part of it is because of Chuck, herself.

There is an omega in his bed for the first time in a very long time. Not just any omega, either. It's the best smelling one he's ever met. And he isn't even sharing his bed with her.

It affects him knowing that she's so close, but he can't have her. Or rather, he _shouldn't_ have her. But it's getting harder and harder for him to reconcile that with his overwhelming urge to keep Chuck close, to protect her, to care for her like she's his.

He lets out a heavy breath and repositions himself on the couch, hoping to get into a comfortable position and maybe get to sleep.

The next morning, Negan wakes up at his usual time despite the lack of sleep he got the night before. He uses his home phone to call into work when he knows his boss will be there.

"It's Negan," he says after his boss answers.

"Gone into rut again?" Thomas Adams responds a little sarcastically.

"No. But I'm calling in fuckin' sick today."

Thomas huffs into the phone.

"I got the fuckin' days saved up," Negan comments, not much caring for his boss's reaction.

"I guess. See you tomorrow."

Negan hangs up the phone. "Prick," he mutters under his breath. His job at the dealership is pretty easy for him and it pays the bills, but he increasingly can't stand his boss. It makes him almost second guess whether he even wants to work there anymore.

He starts the coffee pot, then realizes that he needs to pee. Since his bathroom is attached to his bedroom, this means that he needs to either wait until Chuck wakes up, or go into his room while she's sleeping. He really doesn't feel like pissing into his kitchen sink, so he quietly walks into his room.

Chuck is snuggled up in the center of his bed looking peaceful as can be with the blankets curled all around her, leaving only her face peeking out. Negan watches her for a few moments, smiling at how cute she looks. When she starts to stir, he rushes into the bathroom and closes the door before she can realize he was there.

After he does his business, he opens the door quietly. When he sees that Chuck is still asleep, he can't help but walk closer to her. Pushing some of her hair from her face, he runs his thumb across her cheek.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he whispers quietly.

She stirs a little, but doesn't wake up fully. She actually unconsciously scooches closer to the side of the bed. Closer to Negan. Before he realizes what he's going, he's bent down, his face close to hers. He instantly straightens back up, stopping himself before he actually kisses her.

Not too long later, Chuck wakes up to the delicious smell of bacon. She hops out of bed, slipping her feet into her slippers, and comes out to see Negan standing at the stove. He turns around with a smile on his face.

"I'm cooking up some bacon and I got a waffle in the maker. But if you want some fuckin' Cap'n Crunch, I can go over to your apartment and grab it," he jokes.

"Waffles sounds amazing." She walks closer to him. "And I have a box of _Apple Jacks_ over home now," she corrects him in jest.

"Go ahead and sit down. This shit'll be done in a minute."

Within a few minutes, they're sitting at Negan's table eating breakfast.

"Did you sleep okay on the couch?" she asks after swallowing a bite of syrup drenched waffles.

He shrugs. "Not really."

She instantly feels bad. "I told you. I would've been fine on the couch. You should've taken the bed."

He looks up to her. "I couldn't."

That confuses her. "' _Couldn't_ '?"

"He'd have to go through me to get to you."

Chuck stares at him until his meaning hits her. He wanted to stay by the door in case Eldritch showed up. "Oh." She looks down. "Do you really think we should be that worried about him?"

Negan lets out a sigh. "Alphas..." He pauses, unsure of how he should word what he wants to say. "Omegas affect alphas. No matter what. No matter if the omega is annoying as shit or not what the alpha fuckin' wants in a woman, he'll still be fuckin' affected by her. Even if it's just a little. There's that impulse. That possessive streak." He takes a breath. "Most alphas just shrug it off because they know they can't just fuckin' take omegas like they used to. But some alphas don't give a shit. They're fuckin' stuck with that thought that they should take what they want no matter what. They don't stamp down that goddamn primal voice saying 'she's mine' and they act on it."

Chuck breathes heavily as he speaks. What he's saying is horrifying to her. That alphas would see her as an object. And then there's the little voice in her head bringing up the thought _What if Negan's no better?_

"What about you?" she asks quietly. "Do I affect you?"

He looks her in the eye. "Yes."

"How?"

"I would _never_ hurt you," he feels the need to stress. "I would _never_ force you to do anything you didn't want."

"But you feel..." she doesn't know what she wants to say, "you feel... _possessive_? For me."

He thinks about lying. It would be for her own good to tell her he doesn't want her. But for some reason he can't. "Yes."

"Even though I'm annoying and not what you want in a woman," she parrots his earlier words.

He shakes his head. "No, Chuck. You're all I-" His head whips up as he hears a frantic pounding on Chuck's door. His adrenaline ratchets up at the thought that Eldritch is trying to make his move. "Stay here," he barks to Chuck then goes to his door. Without another thought, he throws it open and advances on the figure standing across the hall. He only takes a couple steps before he realizes that the figure at the door isn't Eldritch. It isn't even a man.

Diane flips around when she hears Negan behind her, but she doesn't really care at the moment. She turns back around to knock on her daughter's door. "Chuck?" she calls out.

Chuck hears her mother's voice coming from the hall, so she gets up to see what's going on. When she gets to Negan's door, she calls out. "Mom?"

Diane turns around to see her daughter in her pajamas coming out of Negan's apartment. She turns her head to see that Negan is only in sleep pants, too. But none of that matters at the moment.

"Sweetie," she chokes out as tears start to stream down her face.

"What?" Chuck knows something is wrong.

"Aaron and Eric..." Diane pauses. She doesn't know if she can even get out what she needs to say.

Chuck knows that her uncles were covering some sort of festival in San Antonio, Texas. They work for a travel blog, with Aaron as the photographer and Eric as the writer.

"What is it?" Chuck starts to cry before she even knows what happened.

"They were attacked last night." Diane lets out a sob. "Eric's dead."

"What?!" Chuck cries. Even though he was her uncle by marriage, she still loved him as a part of her family.

"Aaron was stabbed, but he's alive," Diane explains through sobs. "He was really lucky."

"Oh my god!" Chuck throws her arms around Diane. "Are you sure?" she asks into her mother's shoulder as tears fall from her eyes, hoping that there's a chance that he's not gone.

"I'm sure, sweetie."

As Chuck sobs, Negan feels a tightness in his chest. He hates it. He hates seeing Chuck's heart breaking like it is. It's almost like it's his own heart breaking. He has never met this guy and Chuck had only talked about him a few times, but he feels a sudden sense of loss all the same. He gently lays his hand on Chuck's back, not really knowing what else to do to make her feel better.

As soon as Negan gets close to Chuck, she flips around and practically jumps into his arms. She didn't even think about it, her body just moved on it's own, seeking comfort in Negan.

He looks up to Diane, who gives him a small nod, granting him permission. As much as she would rather be the one to hold her daughter, she knows that Chuck may just need Negan right now.

"It's okay, baby girl," he whispers into her hair as he cradles her head with one arm and wraps the other around her. "It's gonna be okay." He looks up to Diane again and holds his arm out, giving her a silent invitation.

Despite their differences, she accepts it and steps forward to wrap one arm around her daughter's back and the other around Negan. He holds both of the Langdon women close as they sob into his chest, last night's revelation pushed to the back burner as Chuck's emotions swirl around him.


	9. Part 9

"I know," Negan whispers as he continues to hold the Langdon women in his arms. "It's gonna be okay," he reassures them.

Diane pulls away first and looks up to Negan as he places his lips softly to the top of Chuck's head. She didn't exactly expect to accept comfort from Negan, but she has to admit to herself that it did make her feel better. And he seems to be keeping Chuck relatively calm. She's still upset, but she isn't breaking down like Diane had expected her to. She feared that Chuck's panic attacks would come back after this.

Negan turns his head to look at Diane for a moment, then turns back to Chuck. "Why don't you guys go inside."

Chuck looks up, eyes red and puffy and cheeks tear stained. "Okay," she chokes out.

Negan gently nudges Chuck towards Diane. "I'm gotta get dressed, though. I'll be over in a fuckin' minute."

As he turns to go to his apartment, Chuck has the sudden urge to tell him not to go. But she ignores it and allows Diane to lead her into her own place.

Chuck starts to head for her room as Diane wearily sits on the couch. "I'm gonna take a shower."

"Okay, sweetie." Diane wipes her cheeks as she leans back in her seat and shuts her eyes to try to rest.

Diane had gotten the call from San Antonio police right as she walked into the hospital to start her shift. And the couple hours or so after that are all a blur. She ran through the hospital to get the okay to leave, which was granted easily. At some point, she bought a couple of plane tickets to fly out to Texas. And then, of course, there was the drive from Fredericksburg to Charlottesville. All of it left Diane feeling exhausted despite the fact that it is still early in the day.

Just a few minutes later, Negan walks through the door carrying two cups of coffee. "I thought you could use this." He holds one out to Diane.

"Thanks." She takes it as he moves to sit on the other end of the couch.

"I'm sorry about your brother," he says genuinely. Even though he's not exactly close with Diane, he still knows losing someone is hard.

"Eric is my brother-in-law," she corrects, then realizes what she said. " _Was_ my brother-in-law." She shakes her head. "But we were all really close."

"It's shitty losing family."

She nods without turning to him.

"Just so you know," he starts a little hesitantly, "me and Chuck didn't fuckin' sleep together. I mean, she slept over, but we didn't fuck."

Diane turns her head to him, but doesn't say anything. She really hadn't processed the fact that Chuck had come out of Negan's apartment. And that they were both dressed in their sleep clothes.

"This is really a shitty time to bring this up, but Chuck's boss is a real piece of fuckin' work. I don't know if she told you what happened in the hall the other day with me-"

"She did," she interrupts, the memory of what Chuck had told her refreshing hard feelings for the man sitting next to her. Chuck hadn't had the chance to tell her that Negan was actually innocent of all that.

"It was all Eldritch's doing. He fuckin' orchestrated it by hacking into my phone. And I don't fuckin' trust that alpha knothead with her. That's why she was at my place."

Diane furrows her brow in confusion. "He set you up?"

"Yeah."

She isn't sure what to think about all that. But she doesn't get the chance because Chuck walks out of her room, now dressed and with damp hair hanging at her shoulders. Giving both of them a look, Chuck sits down on the open spot left on the couch, which is right between Diane and Negan.

"You okay, baby girl?" he asks after Chuck leans back the same way Diane had when she sat down.

Chuck nods slightly.

Diane places her hand over her daughter's and squeezes reassuringly. "I got us tickets to fly out to San Antonio later so we can see Aaron."

Chuck turns her head to her mother. "How is he doing?" she asks with a little sniffle.

"I didn't talk to him. Just the police. They said he was roughed up but not 'gravely injured'," she repeats the words the policeman had told her over the phone.

"God," Chuck utters with a cracking voice. "How did this all happen?" she barely gets out.

Negan wraps his arm around her shoulders and she leans into him as she sniffles.

Diane squeezes Chuck's hand again. "The cop didn't tell me the specifics. But he said they arrested the guys that did this."

"That's good. I guess." Chuck wipes at her cheeks with her free hand.

"What's all this about your boss," Diane blurts out. Despite the tragedy of Eric's death, if there's a threat to her daughter, she's going to address it.

Chuck sits up straight and pulls her hand away from her mother's. "It's not important right now."

Negan lets out a noise of disapproval.

Diane shares the sentiment. "It _is_ important."

Chuck lets out a sigh. "We think he hacked into Negan's phone because he... wants me. Or whatever. He tried to make me mad at Negan because he thinks that Negan... wants me, too."

Diane looks past Chuck to Negan, who just looks back without giving up his own feelings. "That's worrying," she comments.

Negan nods. "Told you."

Chuck groans as a thought comes to her. "I need to call in to get time off work."

"You have to call _him_?" Negan asks, hoping the answer is no.

Chuck nods. "I'm not gonna use his personal number, though. If I use the company one, his assistant might answer." She gets up to get that over with. She's not exactly sure of what the bereavement policy is at Ad Astra, but she knows she's not going to be working for a few days at least. Even if she has to use personal time off.

When a feminine voice answers the call, Chuck lets out a sigh of relief at not having to talk with Eldritch. After she tells the woman that she's had a death in the family, the assistant puts her on hold to relay the info to her boss.

"Sir?" The leggy beta peeks her head into Eldritch's office where he's seated behind his desk. "There's an employee named Charlotte Langdon requesting time off due to a death in the family."

He snaps his head up from his computer screen. "What? Which family member?" He secretly hopes it's her mother, though she doesn't exactly have much family to choose from. But her mother is the one she leans on most, so without her, he'd have an easier time moving in on the omega and making her his. But Diane _is_ a vocal opponent to Negan, which suits Eldritch's needs.

"Her uncle," the assistant clarifies.

Eldritch does a quick google search as the assistant waits for orders and sees that, indeed, Eric Bradshaw and his husband Aaron Montgomery (names he recognizes as Chuck's uncles) were attacked in a suspected hate crime in San Antonio. Eric was pronounced dead on the scene.

He had thought that maybe the omega was lying to avoid seeing him. Though he hadn't heard them use his name before he had to cut the cord on his listening device, he's not stupid. Their suspicions for who would have tampered with Negan's phone would quickly fall on him. Or at least Negan's would.

Eldritch had thought his plan to get Chuck away from Negan would work without a hitch. Chuck would have been angry and avoided Negan. Probably gone to her mother's to figure things out. Diane would convince Chuck to move out of her apartment and Eldritch could make his move. Make her his.

But somehow, Negan sunk his claws into the omega yet again. So plans had changed. Chuck was supposed to be at the office on Wednesday and Eldritch was going to use that to his advantage. He had it all planned. He would pin everything on Negan, saying that he painted himself as the victim to push Chuck away from Eldritch. He even had trumped up evidence on his phone to prove it.

Now Chuck wasn't going to come in and plans would have to change again.

Eldritch looked up from his computer screen to address his assistant. "Tell her she can take all the time she needs. When she's ready to come back, her job will be waiting."

"Yes, sir. I'll tell her."

When Chuck hears that her time off is granted, she lets out a sigh of relief. That's one less thing to worry about. She stares down at the phone in her hands then looks over to Negan.

He sees her expression change. "What?"

The thought crosses her mind, if Eldritch hacked Negan's phone, why wouldn't he hack hers? She starts to look through her own phone, unaware that all of the evidence has already been wiped away.

Negan figures out quickly what Chuck is doing. "Fuck," he mutters, feeling stupid for not thinking about that possibility sooner. "Did you find something?" He stands from the couch to move over to Chuck, leaning over her to see her phone.

"No." She looks from her phone to Negan. "There's nothing suspicious on here."

Diane looks between the two other people in a state of confusion. "What's going on?"

"We didn't check her fuckin' phone yesterday," he answers then turns back to Chuck. "You sure there's nothing there?"

"I can't find anything. But maybe he covered his tracks. I don't know."

"Did you have anything on it he could..." he thinks about what he wants to say, "I don't know, fuckin' _exploit_?"

"What do you mean?" Chuck asks. "Like bank accounts?"

Negan shakes his head. "Like pictures. Videos."

Chuck doesn't understand, but Diane does.

"My daughter doesn't do that, Negan!" she calls out.

Chuck finally realizes what Negan means and it makes her entire face turn red. "No. I don't have any naked pictures on my phone."

"Well," Negan says with a shrug, "I'm just making sure."

"Did _you_ have any naked pictures on _your_ phone?" Diane bites back to Negan.

"Not of me."

Both women glare at him upon hearing his answer.

"Shit," he says aloud, knowing that he just admitted something that they obviously don't like. "I've had that phone for three fuckin' years and I don't know how to delete shit." He shrugs like it's no big deal.

"Whatever," Chuck mutters and stuffs her phone back in her pocket. She knows she doesn't have any right to be mad about him having naked pictures of women on his phone, but it still makes jealousy bloom inside her. At least a little bit. "When's our flight?" she changes the subject.

Diane shakes her head at Negan before answering Chuck. "We need to be at the airport at three."

"I'll drive you guys," Negan offers quickly. "I'll pick you up when you come back, too."

They have about five hours to kill before they need to check in at the airport and the time goes slowly. Negan hovers around, but he mostly leaves the women alone to talk out what they're feeling. Every once in a while, he sits down next to Chuck and she allows him to drape his arm around her. It gives her some of the comfort she's looking for in this difficult time.

Despite the women's protests that they're not hungry, Negan makes sure they eat lunch before they have to leave for the airport. Once they get there, he walks them all the way to security.

Diane turns back to Negan to give him a friendly hug. After all, he had been really helpful all morning. "Thanks," she says after pulling back.

"You're welcome." He moves over to Chuck and hugs her.

Chuck has never hugged someone so much in her life as she's hugged Negan today. Except her mother, of course. But being wrapped up in Negan's arms feels so comforting to her. Even through the horrible loss she feels. She leans back to look at him. "Thank you," she says quietly.

He places one hand on her cheek and leans in to press a kiss to the other side of her face. "You're gonna be okay," he whispers without moving away from her. "It's gonna be shitty for a while, but you're gonna be okay in the end." He pulls back and swipes the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. "I promise, baby girl."

Chuck nods.

Diane softly puts her hand on Chuck's back. "We need to get going, sweetie."

She turns to nod to her mother. "Okay." She looks back to Negan, thinking that she wishes he were going with them. "Bye," she chokes out then turns to follow her mother through security.

Negan stands there and watches them until they go through the metal detectors, wishing he were going with them, too.

Instead of heading home, he goes straight to Simon's bar. Since it's early on a Monday, no one is in there and Negan is thankful not to have to deal with anyone else there.

"Just a beer," Negan calls out as he walks through the door, knowing that Simon would start to pour his usual bourbon otherwise.

Simon nods and pulls a Guinness from the cooler. "You're pretty early." He sets the bottle down in Negan's usual spot. "And you don't usually come on Mondays."

"It's been a fuckin' weird few days." He takes a long draw from the bottle and sets it back down.

"This hafta do with that guy that was in here the other night."

"Yup." He picks up the bottle to take another drink.

Simon doesn't say anything, waiting for Negan to decide if he wants to talk about it or not.

He lets out a sigh, making his choice. "Chuck presented omega a few months ago. Right after all that petty shit we were doing to each other."

Simon raises his eyebrows. "I thought you said she was in her twenties."

"She is. She has this thing that made her present late. Actually, that's why she started acting out on me. Hormones outta control and all that shit." He takes a drink. "I'm not gonna apologize for not fuckin' telling you all that sooner."

Simon lets out a humorless chuckle. "I don't blame you. I probably woulda done the same damn thing."

"That guy that was in here, Chuck's boss, he's fuckin' crazy. He hacked into my phone and tried to get Chuck mad at me. He texted fuckin' people as if it was me."

"Really? That sounds fucked up."

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure _he's_ fucked up."

"I won't let him in here again. I don't want any of that shit."

"Good."

"So you got yourself an omega now." Simon just assumes that the two are together, even if they were fighting before.

"Not really," Negan answers then sighs. "It's complicated."

"How the fuck didn't you jump on that immediately? Or did she reject you?"

"She didn't reject me. It's just..." He lets out a huff, not wanting to admit that he's hesitant to take another mate again. "I don't know. It's probably gonna fuckin' happen eventually," he admits. He can feel it in his bones that he's not going to be able to resist her forever.

Simon nods, not knowing what else to say.

"I just got back from taking her to the airport. Her fuckin' uncle just got killed in Texas."

"Shit. That fuckin' sucks for her."

"She was upset."

"It was nice of you to take her."

Negan flicks his eyebrows up and takes a drink. "Yeah, well, I'm a real nice fuckin' guy."

Over in San Antonio, Chuck and Diane check into their hotel then catch an uber to the hospital. On the way there, Chuck gets a call from an unknown number.

"Hello?" she answers.

"It's me," Negan responds. He had just gotten back home and wanted to check in with Chuck.

"Oh, hi, Negan."

Diane looks over to Chuck at the mention of Negan's name. She's not exactly surprised that he's contacted her, especially with the way he was acting with her before they left. He really seems to care about Chuck and wants to protect her.

Negan sits down on his couch. "I just got one of those fuckin' prepaid cell phones from Walmart. They set it all up for me. You know, until I sort all that shit out with my other phone. Did you get to the hospital yet?"

"We're on our way, now. Almost there."

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she responds not at all confidently.

"Your mom okay?"

"I think so." Chuck looks up at the large hospital complex coming into view. "We're here. I'll text you tomorrow about when we'll be home. If you still want to pick us up, I mean."

"Of course I'm gonna pick you up, baby girl. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye."

When they finally get to the part of the hospital where Aaron is, it's past visiting hours. But the nurses are nice enough to let them see Aaron anyway in his private room.

As soon as Chuck and her mom see Aaron laying in his hospital bed with his left arm in a cast and two black eyes, everyone bursts into tears. Chuck and Diane both lean over Aaron on either side of the bed and wrap him up in a hug as they all weep. When everyone calms down enough, they start to talk.

"I don't know how it all happened," Aaron says with a voice full of emotion. "We were walking to our hotel from a late dinner and these two guys just started following us."

Diane runs her hand over his cheek, knowing that it's difficult for Aaron to recount what happened.

"They yelled at us. Called us 'fags'. Then..." He lets out a sob. "I was on the ground. One of the guys was just kicking me. Over and over. The other guy attacking Eric had a knife." He gets even more upset.

"Shh. Shh." Diane grasps his free hand in hers. "You don't have to say any more."

The implication is clear, though. Eric had been stabbed in the attack and didn't survive his injuries.

The next morning, Aaron is released from the hospital and the three of them board a plane to come back home. Arrangements had already been made to get Eric's body to a funeral home back in Virginia on an earlier flight so it could be prepared for the funeral in a few days.

Chuck checks in with Negan before they board the plane with a text. _Everything is supposed to be on time so we should be landing at 5:20._

Negan picks up his phone from his desk at work when he hears it chime. He reads Chuck's text and responds. _ill be there bbgirl_

Chuck smiles at Negan's texting style. Whatever phone he has apparently doesn't have autocorrect. _Thanks for doing this for us._ she responds.

 _ur welcome just want to make sure ur ok_

Chuck feels her cheeks redden as a warmth travels through her body at his words. He wants to make sure she's okay. And it feels really good to hear.

"Chuck?" Diane's voice pulls Chuck from her thoughts.

She looks up to her mother standing in front of her. "Yeah?"

"We're boarding," Diane responds.

"Oh, okay."

The three of them board their plane and buckle up to head home. Every once in a while, Chuck looks over to her uncle, but he just keeps his head forward, staring blankly at the seat in front of him. It breaks her heart even more.

Aaron and Eric had met in their freshman year of college, which was about a year after Chuck was born. So she's always only known them together. They were both each other's first serious boyfriend and after five years of dating, they married. So not only is Chuck feeling the loss of Eric for herself, but she feels absolutely terrible for her Uncle Aaron for losing the love of his life.

It's 5:46 when they finally deboard the plane and they meet Negan by the baggage claim, since Aaron's luggage was too big to be a carryon. Negan quickly grabs Chuck's backpack from her and slings it over his shoulder, then Diane's bag and carries it in his hand. The women both thank Negan for his chivalry.

Negan walks over to Aaron and shakes his hand. "I'm Negan."

"Aaron," he introduces himself unenthusiastically.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Aaron nods. "Thank you."

Negan recognizes that vacant look in Aaron's eyes. After all, it's the same look he had after Lucille died. It makes him uncomfortable, like his own feelings from that time in his life are trying to come back. When Diane starts to talk to her brother, he moves back over to Chuck, who is standing awkwardly by the baggage carousel as she keeps an eye out for Aaron's suitcase.

Negan moves in beside her. "They take their good ole fuckin' time getting this shit out, don't they?"

"Seems like it." She clears her throat. "He's really devastated," she says of Aaron. "I don't know what to do for him."

Negan rubs his hand on her back. "Just do what you're doing. Listen to him. Support him. He'll fuckin' appreciate it."

When the baggage starts to appear, Aaron takes his off the platform and starts to roll it away, but Negan stops him.

"I got it." Negan gestures to the suitcase.

"It's okay." Aaron tries to refuse. "You got your hands full with the girls' bags."

"I can manage it," he says with a charming smile.

Aaron looks up to this alpha that he's heard so much about and shrugs, handing his suitcase over to him.

Negan takes the bag in his free hand and starts to lead the family out to his car. After loading all the baggage in the trunk, he drives them all to Aaron's house and drops them off. He only stays a few minutes before leaving, wanting to give them some family time alone.

It's hard for Aaron being home without Eric, but he tries to focus on anything but the empty feeling inside his chest. "So that was Negan," he says from his place on the couch.

Diane is in the kitchen making dinner, so Chuck sits down beside Aaron.

"That's Negan," she confirms.

"I can see why you like him so much. Very handsome."

Chuck giggles a little. "Shut up."

"I wasn't expecting him to be so... gentlemanly. From what Diane has told me about him."

"He was really good to us yesterday. He did a lot," Chuck realizes. "He's a little rough around the edges, but he has his good moments."

Aaron wraps his arm around her and pulls her into a side hug. "I love you, Chucky. You know, me and Eric... we both loved you like our own child."

"I know. I love you, too, Uncle Aaron. And I love Uncle Eric. I always will."

Aaron kisses Chuck's temple as tears start to stream down his cheeks.

Chuck and Diane stay at Aaron's house until the funeral a few days later. They try to do everything they can for him to make this difficult time easier. Diane keeps them all fed by making the meals and Chuck tries to keep Aaron occupied but talking with him. When it's time to get ready for the funeral, Diane drops Chuck off at her apartment to get dressed. When she enters the building, she sees Negan standing at the elevator waiting for it as he's just getting home from work.

He turns to face her. "Hey, baby girl." He walks forward and takes her bag from her once again.

"Thanks."

They get in the elevator and head up to their floor.

Chuck clears her throat. "The funeral is in an hour," she mentions quietly.

"I'll take you. Unless it's private..."

"No. I want you to come." She looks over to him. "I mean, if you want to."

He gives her a little smile. "Of course I'll go."

They part ways at their apartments and get dressed for the somber occasion. Chuck only really has one dress to wear, a simple black empire waist dress that she bought for her job interviews years ago. Luckily for her, it was a little big in the chest back then, so it fits pretty well now that she has grown a cup size or two. She pairs it with a black cardigan and her only pair of dress shoes, strappy black heels. Digging through one of her drawers, she finds a pretty metal barrette and pins up half of her thick hair to look more presentable. When she's all done, she heads over to Negan's and knocks on his door.

He answers after a few moments, dressed in a perfectly pressed black suit and white button up paired with shiny black shoes. His beard is neatly trimmed and his hair is slicked back just right. Chuck's is a little mad at first that he's able to look so good on short notice, but then her mind is flooded with the thought that _he looks good_. Like really good.

Meanwhile, Negan is taking in the sight of Chuck all dressed up. He's only ever seen her in T-shirts and jeans, always looking adorable. And her in that dress is no different. She's so cute in her heels and sweater that it brings a smile to his face. But the hint of cleavage the dress is showing has Negan working hard to keep his gaze on her face.

"You ready, sweetheart?"

She nods. "As ready as I can be." She tells Negan which funeral home to go to as they walk to his car. After the twenty minute or so drive, Negan pulls into the parking lot. As Chuck takes in a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, Negan exits the car and walks around the front to the passenger side. He opens Chuck's door and holds his hand out to her.

"Oh," she calls out in surprise. "I wasn't waiting for you to open my door." She takes his hand and gets out of the car.

"I know. But I still wanted to fuckin' do it." He closes the door and the pair walk up to the main entrance.

It's then that Chuck realizes that she never let go of his hand. "I'm sorry." She hastily pulls her hand away. "I didn't mean-"

"I don't fuckin' mind," he responds with a smile, then opens the door for them to go through.

Chuck quickly finds her mother standing in a small circle with Aaron and Eric's mother and sister, leaving Negan to wander around nearby. She had met the two women a few times before, but she is sure they wouldn't remember her.

"You remember my daughter Chuck," Diane says to the women as she gestures to Chuck. "This is Eric's mother Pamela and sister Emily," she tells Chuck.

"I remember you," Pamela says to Chuck. "You look like you're part of _my_ family," she jokes slightly and tugs gently on Chuck's hair. All of Eric's family have red hair similar to Chuck's, just like Eric did. More than once, people would think Eric was her father when the extended family were out all together. Pamela comes forward to hug Chuck, but cuts it short after she smells her. "You're omega?"

Chuck hadn't seen Eric's family since before she presented, so this must be a little shocking for them. Even so, she doesn't really want to go into her personal life right now, so she just nods slightly.

Having overheard the shift in the conversation, Negan comes up behind Chuck and sets his hand on her back. Then he steps forward to shake their hands. "I'm sorry for your loss," he says to the women, having heard Diane say who they were.

Both new women look at Negan and acknowledge him. The alpha's presence quickly takes the focus off of Chuck, just like he wanted it to. She takes advantage of the distraction and wanders off to take a seat in the front row, off to the side.

Chuck stares at the casket for a few moments, not wanting to get any closer. The only other funeral she went to was her father's when she was eight and it traumatized her. Seeing someone that she loved so much looking not quite himself in the casket haunted her for most of her childhood, so she's not eager to see Eric up close. She'd rather just remember Eric as he was.

Negan comes over and takes the open seat to Chuck's right on the very end of the row. He gives her a smile when she looks over to him.

"Thank you," she says quietly. "For taking the attention off of me."

"You're welcome. It seemed like you wanted outta that fuckin' conversation."

She nods, but doesn't say anything more.

"You okay?" He runs the back of his fingers over her cheek.

"It's just..." she flicks her eyes over to the casket, then looks back to Negan.

"I know, sweetheart," he whispers as he cups her face in his hand. "This is fuckin' tough."

After a few minutes, people start to take their seats. Diane sits beside Chuck on her left and Aaron takes his seat on the other side of Diane as the service gets underway.

As Negan sits there, he thinks about just how much he hates funerals. He hates everything about them. He's only gone to two where he actually cared about the person and they almost crushed him. Then every other one he's attended was mostly just for appearances. He'd normally show up long enough to pay his respects then cut out early. But with this one, he's going to stay as long as Chuck does because he knows she needs him.

The service is beautiful, with a moving sermon from Eric and Aaron's pastor. Eric's mother talks about what a good kid he was and how proud of him she is. One of Eric's oldest friends tells sweet stories about their adventures growing up. Then Aaron gets up to talk about his husband. Tears start to fall down Chuck's cheeks as she sees just how heartbroken her uncle is.

Hearing Chuck let out a little sniffle during Aaron's speech, Negan turns to her. It breaks his heart to see tears streaming down her face. Sensing his gaze, Chuck looks over to Negan. Before she can realize what she's doing, she grabs Negan's hand and holds it in her lap with both of her hands, wanting that little bit of comfort.

The contact sends a jolt of excitement through Negan's body. But he knows it's inappropriate. Chuck is hurting right now and Negan knows it. He _feels_ it. So he pushes back the thought that his hand is sitting on her lap and focuses on just being there for her.

After the service, Negan drives Chuck home. Upon entering her apartment, she takes off her dress clothes and runs herself a soothing bath. When she's done with that, she changes into her comfy jersey knit nightgown featuring little dinosaurs on the print and cuddles up on her couch with Netflix to try to decompress. But it doesn't seem to work. Even with her favorite show Supernatural on, her tears start to flow.

It only takes her a few minutes to decide that she doesn't want to be alone. She wipes her face, blows her nose and heads across the hall. Knocking softly on Negan's door, she has a few moments to beat herself up for bothering Negan.

 _He probably doesn't want to spend any more time with you._ She thinks.

When he answers the door, he's dressed down in only a pair of sleep pants. "You okay, sweetheart?"

"Will-" she lets out a heavy breath, "will you sit with me for a while?"

He responds without hesitation. "Of course, baby girl." He closes his door and the pair go over to Chuck's apartment.

They both sit down on the couch and Chuck unpauses the episode she left it on.

"So, what are we watching?" he asks nonchalantly.

"Supernatural. It's my favorite show."

"Ah. So what the fuck is going on?"

She explains the episode and all of the relevant backstory and to Negan's credit, he actually listens and pays attention. He knows that it would be better for Chuck to keep her mind off of her loss and getting her to talk about something she likes will do just that.

"So, pretty boy and jacked bro had an asshole dad that had an illegitimate kid that they never knew about. And now bastard bro wants them to help him find his mom? Who probably got eaten by a monster of some sort." Negan recounts the plot of the episode.

"Pretty much."

"And asshole dad is now dead because he sold his soul to save pretty boy from dying."

"Yup."

"And pretty boy sold _his_ soul and went to Hell to bring jacked bro back to life."

"He was rescued. But yes."

"And pretty boy has a fuckin' sweet ass car."

Chuck actually giggles. "Yes. She gets her own episode, pretty much."

"How the fuck does that work? Does she talk or some shit?"

"No. All the camera angles are from inside the car. It's actually a really cool episode."

"Play that one next."

After two more episodes, Chuck finds herself curled up beside Negan with his arm around her. It feels so natural that she doesn't even really notice. Another episode in and she's asleep on his chest.

When Negan sees Chuck's head start to droop, he knows he should tell her that she needs to go to bed. He should get up and walk out that door, but he can't. So when he feels Chuck's even breaths puffing over his bare chest, instead of waking her or carrying her into bed and leaving, he turns the tv off and shifts to lay back a little and quickly falls asleep with her in his arms.

When Chuck wakes up, she knows that something is wrong. There's a pain in her abdomen and everything feels... uncomfortable. She's hot and sweaty and all fuzzy. Like she can't think straight. As soon as she takes a deep breath in, all rational thought dissipates. An overwhelming urge to get closer to the smell that surrounds her fills her and she searches for the source. Her eyes find the sleeping man beside her and she instinctively climbs on top of him to nuzzle into his neck, purring when she breathes in that perfect scent.

Negan whips them around with Chuck underneath him before he's even fully conscious. He shoves his nose into her neck and starts to grind his crotch into her automatically. When she lets out a moan, somehow, Negan's rational brain wrestles back control momentarily.

 _You're in rut. She's in heat. You can't do this._

"Fuck," he growls, unsure if he's even able to stop himself. "You smell so fuckin' good."

Her breathy voice is desperate. "Please, Negan. Help me." She doesn't know what she's calling out for, but she knows she needs something. Something that Negan can give her.

He wraps his arms around her and squeezes her into him, placing an open mouth kiss on the crook of her neck as she writhes underneath him. "Need you," he rasps into her skin. "Gonna knot you."

"Yes," she breathes out. She grinds herself on his prominent erection, her slick soaking through her underwear and coating the front of his pajama pants.

"Fuck," he groans. "You're mine, omega." He nips at her neck as he runs one hand up under her nightgown to her waist.

That voice inside him screams back at him. _She'll fuckin' hate you if you do this! She doesn't really want this! You'll lose her forever!_

"Fuck!" he growls, trying to fight through that alpha haze to do the right thing.

"Negan," she moans as she wraps her arms around his shoulders and pulls himself closer to her.

"Motherfuck!" He shoots up from the couch, breaking her hold, and takes a step away from her.

As soon as the contact is broken, Chuck gets more desperate. "Please, Negan! It hurts!" she cries.

"I can't!"

" _Please_!" She stands from the couch but immediately collapses in pain. Without Negan right there with her, the pain in her abdomen grows exponentially. "Help me!"

"Goddamnit!" He rushes over to her and picks her up, cradling her to his chest as she wraps her legs around him. He knows that if he isn't going to knot her, she's going to need to go to the hospital. Still holding her, he grabs her car keys off the counter and leaves the apartment, barefoot and half dressed.

Chuck continues to whimper and squirm around in his hold. The skin to skin contact makes her feel a little better, but that'll only last so long. Her temperature is still steadily rising and will become dangerous if something isn't done.

Negan makes it out to the car and sets Chuck in the passenger's seat. As soon as he gets behind the wheel, she tries to crawl over to him.

"No!" he growls.

"Please!" she whines in return.

He hasn't used his alpha voice in years, but it comes out of him on instinct. "Stay!" he commands.

She's compelled to obey him and instantly sits back in the seat. But she continues to whimper as her discomfort grows.

Negan starts the car and heads off to a hospital that he knows has an omega wing, Spring Harbor Medical Center. As he drives, he fights the urge to pull over and take her right then and there. The urge is so strong that every breath that leaves his mouth comes out as a growl. He finds himself running his right hand over every inch of her that he can reach, covering her in his scent. Her head, her face, shoulder, stomach, thigh. Somehow, he avoids the places he really wants to touch, though, knowing that he really shouldn't touch her there without her consent.

Chuck continues to whimper and writhe around in discomfort. When it becomes too much, she grabs his hand and brings it up to her face, seeking comfort in his scent. She kisses and licks at his wrist, making him growl and squirm in his seat.

"Fuck, omega. I want you so fuckin' bad."

He finally pulls up to the ER door of the hospital and gets out, leaving Chuck to whine pitifully at the loss of his presence. She's starting to feel even worse as her fever rises. Negan runs around the car and rips the door open, pulling Chuck into his arms once again. She's growing weak, but she still wraps her legs around him, wanting to be covered in him.

When he stomps into the ER lobby, no one knows what to make of him. But the sight of other people, _strangers_ , around them, close to his omega, has Negan's feral side winning out against his rational self.

"Sir?" a beta male nurse calls out to Negan and is met with a loud growl. "Okay." He backs away with his hands raised. "Call Dr. Wainwright," he tells another nurse without looking away from the alpha/omega pair in front of him. Dr. Wainwright is the doctor that specializes with alpha patients. "Tell him we have an alpha in rut down here."

"I'm calling Dr. Bailey, too," the other nurse adds. "The omega is in heat."

Negan looks around wildly at everyone in the room. Since it's about 4am, the waiting room isn't exactly full, but there are still a few people and some nurses milling around. And in his heightened state, Negan sees every single one of them as a threat to the omega in his arms.

"Is the omega hurt?" the nurse tries again.

Negan whips around to him and bares his teeth with a growl.

The nurses are at a loss for what to do. They don't know why this alpha has walked into the ER, but they assume it's for the omega, who doesn't seem to be making any more noise. But they don't stand a chance of getting the omega away from an alpha in rut. All they can do is keep everyone away from them until the doctors get there.

Dr. Bailey arrives first and recognizes both Negan and Chuck. And now she knows why Negan had brought her there. Chuck is in heat and is in desperate need of medical attention.

"Negan?" she calls out as she approaches him very slowly.

He looks at her and remembers her as Lucille's doctor from years ago. She was a good doctor and a good friend to his wife. Even though she wasn't an oncologist, she was very involved in Lucille's cancer treatment. He still growls softly at her, though, his alpha instincts going against his rational self telling him that she still may be a threat.

"I'm Dr. Bailey. We've met before. Do you remember?"

He huffs a few breaths before nodding.

"I've been treating Chuck," Dr. Bailey mentions, hoping that Negan will trust that she has Chuck's best interests in mind. "She needs my help, Negan." She takes another step forward.

He growls and steps back, somehow curling himself around Chuck more to protect her from the perceived threat..

"Is she conscious?" Dr. Bailey asks, but he doesn't respond. "Is she awake, Negan? If she isn't, I need to help her right away."

He looks down at Chuck as her head leans on his shoulder. "Omega?" he growls out, but gets no response. It sends a wave of panic through him. "Omega?!" He shakes her, but she doesn't move.

"I need to help her, Negan. You're doing the right thing," she tries to praise him, hoping that will get him to trust her.

Just then, Dr. Wainwright comes in, causing Negan to move away from the strange man with a growl, his walls coming back up.

"Negan, look at me," Dr. Bailey calls out, trying to get his attention back on her. "There's a bed right behind you. Just set her there and we'll take care of her." She knows that she has no time to waste with Chuck.

"Can't leave her," Negan growls out.

"You have to. You know this is the right thing to do. That's why you brought her here." Diane takes a tentative step forward and Negan allows it. "She's sick and needs my help. All I want is to help her." She takes another step so that she's close enough to touch Chuck. "Can I check her?"

After a moment, Negan nods.

Dr. Bailey checks her pulse. It's fast, but weak. "She needs medicine or she'll die." She looks into Negan's eyes. "We need to put her on the bed so we can help her. You know I'll _help_ her."

Negan huffs a few breaths as he decides. When he does, he turns and walks to the hospital bed sitting along the wall. He sets Chuck down and turns back to Dr. Bailey. "Help her."

"I will."

As Dr. Bailey starts to wheel the bed away, Negan tries to follow. When one of the nurses tries to stop him, he lashes out, swinging his arm and just barely missing the beta male nurse. Then he feels a sharp pain in his neck and whips around just in time to see Dr. Wainwright pull an empty syringe back.

"I'll fuckin' kill you," he slurs out, the drug working too quickly for him to follow through on his threat. He takes a step forward, but stumbles and collapses into to the ground. He tries to crawl towards where Chuck was being taken, but doesn't make it far before the drugs knock him out fully.

When Negan opens his eyes, he's very confused. He's in a strange place and he doesn't feel right. His mouth feels like it's filled with cotton and he can't think straight.

"Are you awake?" A feminine voice from beside him asks.

He turns to it, but the motion makes him dizzy. "Fuck," he mutters as he tries to focus on the pretty middle aged beta. It takes a moment before he realizes that he knows her. It's Diane.

Suddenly, he remembers waking up in rut with Chuck in his arms as she was consumed by her heat. He remembers getting into her car with her, driving to the hospital, then... nothing.

He shoots up. "Is Chuck, okay?!" He has no idea what happened to her. Did he knot her? Did he crash the car? Did he even get her to the hospital? Was he too late?

"She's fine," Diane answers as she gently pushes him back in the bed. "You just woke up. You need to lay down."

"She's okay?" he questions again, trying to fight through the dizziness to stay conscious. "I didn't hurt her?"

"You didn't hurt her," she confirms. "You got her here in time, but it was close. Her heat's being a little stubborn, but it just broke a little bit ago. They're going to start to bring her out of the sedation in an hour or so."

"Why are you here? Why aren't you fuckin' sitting with her?"

"They won't let me until they start to wake her up. It's hospital policy not to let any visitors in while an omega is in heat."

He nods. "I guess that's a good fuckin' policy." In all the time that he had lived with Lucille, she never had a heat in the hospital. When she got really sick and had to spend time there, her heats weren't even coming anymore. "But why are you sitting with me?"

She nods slightly, realizing that it is a little weird that she's there. So she tries to explain. "You know how hard it is for an alpha to resist an omega in heat. If that alpha's in rut, it's damn near impossible. But you did it. Because you knew that if you gave in, it would hurt her."

Negan looks into Diane's eyes, listening as she makes her point.

"You put _her_ before yourself. Before your alpha instincts. And that's... incredible. Unheard of."

He shrugs a little, not knowing how to respond.

"Are you still going to say that you're not synced with her? Considering she was a month early, but you went into rut all the same."

"A month early?" he repeats. He hadn't realized that. "Is she okay?"

Diane nods. "Dr. Bailey said stress can mess up the cycle. With Eric's passing..." She doesn't finish that thought. "And she's still newly presented. It can take a while for her cycle to get regular."

He nods, relieved that this isn't a sign that she's unwell.

"So?" Diane asks, wanting an answer to her question.

"So, what?"

"Admit you and Chuck are different. I saw it with how you treated her. How she responded to you. You're meant to be together."

He shakes his head. "That's not fuckin' true."

"It is. And you know it."

"I _don't_ fuckin' know it," he bites back.

"You're not a stupid man."

"I can't go through losing a mate again!" He yells, the affects of the drugs lessening his inhibitions a bit. "I can't go through disappointing her. Breaking her fuckin' heart. I can't. And I fuckin' _won't_. She's better off without me, Diane."

She looks him right in the eyes. "I've known Chuck her whole life. She was always shy, scared of people. She used to hide behind my legs when she was little if anyone would come up to us. And it only got worse after her father died." She feels her eyes well up. "Do you know what it's like having your nine year old have panic attacks every time you leave her sight?" she chokes out. "I had to pull her out of school. I had to take time off and force her to see a psychologist." She wipes her eyes and takes a calming breath. "She got better. But she was always quiet. A loner. And then I had to take her to the doctor when she was sixteen and they told her she wasn't like everyone else. And it all started again. She cut herself off from everyone. Stopped doing the things she used to like. Slept most of the day. So back to the psychologist I went. But this time..." She clears her throat. "That darkness never fully left her. She hid it. I know she did. But I could see it when she thought no one was looking."

Negan listens, but isn't sure where she's going with it. "Why the fuck are you telling me all this?"

"Because when Chuck was upset, _really_ upset, she turned away from _me_ and went to _you_. And I saw her reach out to you at the funeral. I can't ignore all that."

Negan looks away, wanting to dismiss what she's saying. "You were right at first, Diane. I'm not a good man."

"From what I've seen now, I think I was wrong."

He shakes his head. "I was never faithful to Lucille. Even after I claimed her. I loved her with all my fuckin' heart, but I still couldn't stop myself. And it tore her up. I'm not gonna give myself the goddamn chance to do that again with Chuck."

"Then you're gonna break her heart anyway."

He looks to her, but doesn't say anything.

"I didn't really know you before all this, but I think you're changing. How long did you know Lucille before you two got together?"

He thinks. "Two weeks."

"It's been four months since Chuck's presentation. You can't tell me that there's no way you could've convinced her to sleep with you. You're a charming guy and, even though Chuck is smart, she has blind spots. She can be naive. So the fact that you never slept with her tells me that you weren't really trying. You knew she wasn't ready and you backed off."

Negan shakes his head, trying to come up with excuses against what she's saying, but not being able to.

There's a knock at the door and a nurse peeks her head in. "They're waking Chuck up now, Diane."

"Thank you."

The nurse leaves and Diane stands from her seat. "You have to accept that you and Chuck need each other. And if you have to try extra hard to keep it in your pants, that's what you're going to have to do." She walks to the door, but before she opens it, she turns back. "And if you hurt my little girl, I'll cut your balls off."

He chuckles a little. "I'll keep that in mind."

When Diane leaves the room, Negan is left with only his thoughts. It's getting harder and harder to stay away from Chuck. He thought that maybe he could just be friendly with her. Stay close enough to protect her and that's it. But now, he knows things have changed. And he knows that their next conversation is going to be a turning point for them and their relationship.


	10. Part 10

Chuck opens her eyes and blinks a few times before she realizes where she is.

 _Hospital room._ She thinks. _I was in heat._

"Sweetie?" Diane's voice calls out quietly from Chuck's right.

"Mom?" Chuck croaks as she tries to sit up.

Diane moves to help her. "How you feeling?" She sits back down after Chuck is in a comfortable seated position.

"Still feel a little loopy." She rubs at her forehead as memories start to flood in. They're a little jumbled and fuzzy, but she remembers enough to cause a blush in her cheeks. "Oh god..."

Diane sits forward. "What? Do you feel sick?"

Chuck flicks her head to Diane then quickly away again. "I remember..." She doesn't exactly want to tell her mother. "...stuff"

Diane nods, knowing that all of this will probably be embarrassing for Chuck. She doesn't want to push her daughter into talking about it, so she decides to just stick to what she knows of what happened. "Negan brought you in already in heat. Dr. Bailey was called in and she got you set up in here. She said your emotional state probably triggered your heat early."

"Is that okay? My last heat was early, too."

"You're fine. She said since you're still newly presented, irregular heats can happen anyway. But you're good. It was close, but you're good."

"Close?"

"You went unconscious before Dr. Bailey could get you into a room. She said your close proximity to Negan probably accelerated your heat. So it was almost too late." Diane hates to think about what would have happened if Negan hadn't gotten Chuck to the hospital as quickly as he did. Then again, he could have given into his instincts and Diane would be a grandmother in nine months most likely.

Chuck thinks about that night she had in her apartment after the funeral. "I asked Negan to sit with me. I just didn't want to be alone," she starts to explain to her mother. "We were just sitting on the couch. I guess I fell asleep, sorta cuddled into him. Then when I woke up..." She lets out a groan as she remembers wrapping herself around Negan. Nuzzling into his neck. Even grinding against him. "God." She covers her face in shame. "I can never see Negan again. He's gonna hate me for how I acted."

"He doesn't hate you, Chuck."

"I... _molested_ him. I'm sure he didn't want me to touch him like I did. And I distinctly remember him pushing me away from him in his car. I think he used his alpha voice on me to get me to stop."

Diane scrunches up her face in confusion. "You _do_ remember that he was in rut, right?"

"What?" She looks from side to side as if that would sharpen her memories. Was Negan really in rut that night? She doesn't really remember what he did that much, just what she was doing. She was certainly reacting to him, but her heat and the after effects of the drugs she was given are making it impossible for her remember all the details. "He was in rut?"

"Yeah. He was in full rut when he brought you in. And when they tried to take you to a room, he got violent. So they sedated him for the rest of his rut."

"They _sedated_ him? Is he okay?"

As if on cue, there's a knock on the door and Diane rises to answer it. She steps to the side, allowing the visitor, none other than the man they were talking about himself, to enter.

He starts to walk over to Chuck. "Hey, sweetheart."

She can't help but giggle at how Negan looks. He's wearing pink scrubs a couple sizes too small, so the tight pants end above his ankle and the top is stretched across his chest. He also has a pair of flip flops on.

He seems to realize what has Chuck laughing. "Yeah, yeah." He runs his hands down his torso. "I didn't have any clothes with me and this is all they could fuckin' spare. At least that's what they fuckin' said. I'm pretty sure they did this on purpose for me being a fuckin' knot head in the ER."

Diane laughs, too. "That pink brings out your eyes," she jokes.

"Very fuckin' funny."

After Diane stops chuckling, she clears her throat and goes over to place a kiss on Chuck's head. "I'm gonna get something to eat. I'll be back in a little bit." She knows that Chuck and Negan need a little time to talk on their own.

"Okay, Mom."

When Diane leaves, Negan takes the seat by Chuck's bed. But he doesn't say anything. He isn't sure what to say, anyway.

Chuck, hating the awkward silence, speaks up first. "I need to apologize for all this."

"No you don't."

"Yes, I do. I asked you over and I caused you to go into rut by being near you and I was inappropriate with you and you had to be sedated," she runs all together. She is truly mortified by all this. "And I'm sorry."

"Fuck, honey." He leans forward to lay his hand on hers, but doesn't look at her. "You don't have to apologize for this. You can't help your fuckin' heat."

"I'm just really embarrassed of how I acted," she responds quietly. She remembers how desperate she was and wonders if that's really how all omegas feel during their heats. In reality, her incredible compatibility with Negan made it so her urges were much more intense than normal.

"No," he finally looks up at her, knowing that he's going to have to nut up and tell her everything. "You don't have any-fuckin'-thing to be embarrassed about, baby girl. You couldn't help it. _I_ couldn't help it." He lets out a deep breath and sits back in his chair. It's now or never. "Your mom thinks we're true mates."

Chuck bursts out laughing immediately, thinking that he's joking. But Negan's serious expression sobers her. "No she doesn't," she replies, still chuckling a little.

"She does. She told me."

"That's stupid, Negan. She doesn't believe in true mates. And she doesn't even really like you, anyway."

"I'm telling you she _does_ believe in true mates." He shrugs a little. "And I think I'm growing on her."

Chuck shakes her head, completely confused at this conversation. "But-"

Before she can say anything more, Negan blurts out, "And I think we're true mates, too."

Chuck's eyebrows shoot up to her hairline. "Uh, what?"

"Maybe not _true_ mates. But we're _something_. I know it. I've tried to fuckin' deny it, but I _know_ it."

Chuck shakes her head in disbelief. "That's... That's insane. Isn't it?"

Negan looks right into her eyes as he panics a little internally. The fact that Chuck seems to be fighting him on this has some insecurity settling in. But really, Chuck is only questioning it because of her _own_ insecurities.

"You don't feel _anything_ for me?" he asks sincerely.

She looks away and shrugs. "I don't know." She really doesn't. Her feelings have been so different since her presentation that it's hard for her really explain them. Not to mention that she really has no experience with actual adult relationships.

"I think about you all the time," Negan continues. "I fuckin' _dream_ about you."

"You do?" she almost whispers. She's had her fair share of thoughts about Negan herself, but she never thought Negan would think about her.

"When I'm not fuckin' with you, I have to fuckin' stop myself from going to you just so I can be near you." He lets out a breath. "And I worry about you. So fuckin' much. I worry that someone's gonna hurt you. I worry that _I'm_ gonna fuckin' hurt you." He breaks his gaze to shake his head. "All I want is to make sure you're safe. And fuckin' happy."

Chuck isn't sure what to say. But she isn't quick to allow herself to believe him fully. "Y-You haven't been around an omega in a while," she more asks than says, not believing that he could actually want her in the way he's saying.

"It's not that. I remember what it's like to be close to omegas. Yeah, my mind always goes to fucking them, but then I just walk away and never fuckin' think about them again. I can't fuckin' walk away from you. I tried. More than once, I tried to leave you alone, but I was always drawn back in."

Negan watches her, waiting for her to respond. Her face seems to flick between several different emotions fairly rapidly. For Chuck, though, only one of those emotions is the most important at the moment.

"I'm afraid," she whispers.

Her whole life, she has been alone, never really making any meaningful relationships with anyone. Sure, she's had people she was friendly with, but never anyone that she considered a confidant. Or a partner. Definitely not a mate. Of course, that's led to loneliness in her life. And sadness, too. But the thought of possibly letting herself really care about someone and then having them maybe leave her seems so much worse than anything she'd ever felt already.

Negan wasn't expecting her to say that. "Afraid?"

"I'm not..." She lets out a sigh. "I don't have any experience with... any of that. I'm afraid I'll disappoint you." That self doubt is almost crippling for her. Not only is she worried that she doesn't look like the sexy women that she knows Negan is attracted to (so she thinks), but she has no idea what she's doing when it comes to sex. And she knows that Negan is prolific in that regard. What if she falls for him, but he realizes he doesn't want her? Or gets bored of her?

He leans forward and takes her hand into his own. "You're not gonna fuckin' disappoint me. You don't have to be afraid of that." He brings her hand up to his lips to kiss her knuckles sweetly. "But I guess I'm fuckin' afraid of disappointing you, too." He looks into her eyes. "I fucked around on Lucille. I fucked around on every woman I've ever been with, really. And I don't want to fuckin' hurt you with that."

"So... Where does that leave us?"

He gets up from his seat and moves to sit on the edge of her bed, facing her. "I think... What I felt with you during my rut was so much more intense than I've ever fuckin' felt in my life. But still, I just couldn't fuckin' stand the thought of doing anything to hurt you." He takes her hand in his again and starts to play around with her slender fingers. "So, I think I wanna try this," he says while looking at her hand, too afraid to look up in case she rejects him.

Chuck doesn't say anything for a moment. But when Negan's eyes finally move to hers, she responds. "Can we go slow?"

"Yeah, sweetheart. We can go as slow as you want."

"You won't get bored with me?"

He brings her hand up to his cheek and kisses her wrist. "I won't get bored."

"If-" She pulls her hand back into her lap. "I'm not okay with cheating. One time and I'll be done with you. Forever."

He knows that's going to be hard for him, but if those are her terms then he's going to have to live by them. "Okay," he agrees. "But so I'm fuckin' clear, is that starting right now?"

The look on her face tells him that, yes, it's starting right now. But she tries to think of a way to maybe allow him some leeway, not knowing that her expression gave away her true thoughts.

"I mean-" she starts, but doesn't get to finish.

"It starts now," he says resolutely. He's not 100% confident that he's not going to fuck this all up, but he's certainly going to try not to.

The door opens and Diane walks in, though she pauses for a second when she sees Negan sitting on the bed. "Everything okay?" she asks as she flicks her eyes between the two people now staring at her.

"Peachy fuckin' keen," Negan answers.

"Okay." Diane moves further into the room and holds out the two cups of coffee in her hands. "I thought you guys might need a little pick me up."

They both accept the cups of caffeine as Diane sits down in the chair.

"Thanks, Mom."

"They had that flavored creamer you like," Diane directs at Chuck.

Chuck takes a sip. "Ooo. Yummy."

"It's not fuckin' coffee anymore if you add a fuck ton of sugar."

Chuck just shrugs and takes another drink of her caramel macchiato flavored coffee.

Diane fiddles around with her purse, sort of feeling like a third wheel at this moment. "I ran into your nurse before I came in and she said they're going to release you pretty soon."

"I'll drive you home," Negan quickly says to Chuck. "Your car's here and I don't think I'd trust you to drive. You still look a little high."

Chuck giggles. "Okay."

"Oh," Diane digs through her pocket, producing an appointment card. "Dr. Bailey also wants to see you in a few days. Just to discuss some things." She looks between the alpha and omega in front of her. "About all this," she tacks on as she gestures vaguely at them.

Chuck takes the card. "That sounds amazing," Chuck gripes. She's not really looking forward to that.

The next half hour is a little awkward, since Chuck and Negan had an important conversation and now Diane is sitting with them. When Chuck is discharged, she goes into the bathroom to get dressed in the old sweats of Diane's that she brought with her. This leaves Negan and Diane alone for a few minutes.

Negan lets out a heavy breath. "I told her about the true mates shit."

"What did she say?"

"I think she thinks it's a crock of shit. But we're going to go slow. See how shit develops."

Diane nods. "Good. I don't want you to rush with her."

Negan turns his head to look at the bathroom door.

"And, Negan?"

He turns back to look at Diane. "Yeah."

"Remember what I said I'd do if you hurt her?"

He chuckles slightly. "I remember. And I'd very much like to keep my balls."

"Then don't be a dick."

Chuck comes back out and they all leave the hospital, Chuck and Negan in her car and Diane in hers.

"I'm gonna get some drive through somewhere," Negan says as he pulls out of the hospital's parking lot. "I'm fuckin' starving."

"You don't want to go in somewhere?" Chuck asks with a giggle. She figures he wouldn't want to be seen anywhere with the getup he's wearing.

"Fuck no. I'm sure people would think I'm a fuckin' crazy person dressed like this."

She shrugs. "I don't know. People might just think you're fashion forward."

"Well, I'm pretty sure you can see my dick and balls through these tight ass pants, so I don't wanna go anywhere with children. Or some parent'll probably call the fuckin' cops."

Chuck laughs hard. "I hadn't noticed."

"Shit, sweetheart. You know how to cut a guy down."

She doesn't get it at first, but then it hits her. "I just meant I wasn't even looking at your crotch! Not that I looked and didn't see anything!"

They get their food and park to eat it.

"Fuck," Negan groans with a full mouth. "I hope I still have a fuckin' job after all this."

Chuck swallows her bite before speaking. "Do you really think you're going to be fired?" Again, she feels responsible. After all, Negan has only been missing work because of her.

He sees the guilt on her face, but he doesn't blame her. "Not really. I don't even think I _can_ get fired for missing work on my rut."

"I hope not."

When they get to their building and up to their floor, they notice a large bouquet of white lilies sitting in front of her door.

"What's that?" Negan asks as they approach her door.

"I don't know." She bends down to pick up the card.

"Is it from your fucking boss?" he spits out, unable to hold in his ire for that man.

Chuck reads the card aloud. "Sorry for your loss. From all of us at Ad Astra." She looks up at Negan. "I guess everyone must've pitched in. That's really nice of them."

Negan wrestles with what to say. He figures that Eldritch is trying to do this to ingratiate himself to Chuck. But maybe it really _was_ everyone at work just doing something nice. In the end, he decides to keep his mouth shut.

Before they part ways into their separate apartments, Negan insists on making dinner for Chuck in a few hours. She agrees and enters her apartment, immediately heading for the bathroom to shower. After that, she lounges around, not really having the energy to do much else.

Negan has a similar plan. He strips off the ill fitting scrubs pretty much as soon as he closes his door and heads off to shower. Then he calls work. Mr. Adams is pissed about the time off, but he really can't punish Negan for not working during his rut. Unless he wants a lawsuit on his hands. He just tells Negan that he doesn't care if Negan is losing commissions by not making any sales and to come back to work tomorrow.

"Fuckin' dickhead," he mutters after hanging up his phone.

A few hours later, Negan knocks on Chuck's door with a plate of fried chicken in his other hand. They sit down at Chuck's small table to eat.

"Are you feeling okay?" Negan asks when he notices that Chuck is moving pretty slowly.

"I feel kinda tired. I think this heat took a lot out of me. Maybe eating'll give me some energy." She takes a bite of the chicken. "This is really good," she remarks happily.

"I'm glad you like it. It's my mom's old recipe."

"Is that where you got your cooking skills? From your mom?"

He chuckles. "Yeah. I used to help her in the kitchen all the fuckin' time."

"I'm glad I get to reap the benefits." She gestures to her plate.

During the next week, Chuck and Negan take things slow, just like they said they would. They both work during the day, but they text each other every once in a while. And Chuck makes sure to keep in touch with Negan when she visits with Aaron as he goes through Eric's things. It's hard for Aaron, so Chuck makes sure she's there for him.

Chuck and Negan spend every evening together, though. Most of the nights, Negan cooks, but there are a few takeout dinners thrown in there. They keep it pretty casual, but Negan definitely flirts more. He finds that he loves to make Chuck blush, so he takes every opportunity he can.

Chuck doesn't mind it, though she never has a comeback. Flirting isn't exactly her strong suit. She mostly just giggles at whatever Negan says and tries to turn away. Despite the fact that Negan has always loved to go tit for tat with women, he finds Chuck's reactions to him downright adorable. And oddly very sexy in an innocent kind of way.

Diane had talked to her daughter on the phone every day. She admitted that she had talked to Negan and she also said she had talked to Dr. Bailey about the possibility of true mates. Chuck doesn't exactly _like_ that Diane kept all that from her, but she understands why.

The whole "true mates" thing seems weird to Chuck. She remembers hearing all the stories as a kid, watching the rom coms with her mother, but it was always _fiction_. But practically everyone around her is telling her that what's going on between her and Negan isn't normal. That it's more intense than just alpha/omega feelings. But Chuck doesn't know the difference, having never had _normal_ omega feelings for an alpha before. She knows that she feels a pull towards Negan and that there's something in Negan's scent that is comforting, but she's not sure if she wants to allow the thought _Negan is my alpha_ to take hold in her mind.

It's the day of Chuck's appointment, so she heads out to Dr. Bailey's office. After the nurse takes the usual vital signs, Chuck waits for the doctor. After about five minutes, the middle aged beta enters.

"Hello, Chuck. How are you?" Dr. Bailey shakes Chuck's hand then sits in her seat. She sets up her laptop and starts typing.

"I'm good."

"Your vitals are good. Weight's good. Blood pressure is normal." She types a little bit more, then turns to talk directly to Chuck. "But today I wanted to talk to you more in depth about your heat."

"Okay."

"Why don't you tell me what happened that night."

"Well," Chuck clears her throat. "It was after my uncle's funeral and I was still kind of upset. I asked Negan to come over and sit with me. I just didn't want to be alone."

Dr. Bailey nods, understanding that.

"We were sitting together and I guess I fell asleep sorta on his chest. Then I woke up and... I was in heat."

"So you were already around Negan _before_ your heat started?"

"Yeah. I guess."

"And he wasn't in rut before you fell asleep?"

"No."

Dr Bailey turns to start typing again to put what Chuck had said in her notes. "Did your mother tell you that we talked?" she says as she continues to type.

"Yeah. I know she thinks me and Negan are true mates."

"You don't?"

"I'm not sure. He thinks that, but..." She shrugs in lieu of finishing the sentence.

"I would like to keep studying you. Along with Negan. If he's okay with it."

"I don't know. I guess I could ask him."

"What I saw in the ER..." She turns back to Chuck. "He was almost feral trying to protect you. An alpha in rut like that... with an omega in heat near him... Honestly, I have no idea how he stopped himself from claiming you. Dr. Wainwright, the alpha doctor that was there, he said as much, too. It's really remarkable."

"Really?"

"Studying the two of you could really further the science in pair bonding for alphas and omegas. It's..." she thinks of the word, "fascinating, actually."

"We're that... different? From everyone else."

Dr. Bailey nods. "From what I've seen." She sits back in her chair and takes a deep breath. "In everyone, betas included, there are pheromones. These pheromones are sort of like a beacon of your genetic makeup. So, if you find someone that smells really good to you, odds are their genes would mix with yours to make a very healthy baby. These pheromones are even stronger in alphas and omegas and they affect them much more than betas. They still denote genetic compatibility, but there's also some very old, maybe not the most scientifically collected, evidence that these pheromones can change in times of emotional distress and be picked up by mates or close family members. In the sixties, scientists separated omegas and their children and took samples from the children when they were happy, scared, in pain then asked the mothers to determine which samples were which. It was completely unethical so it can never be replicated, but the mothers were correct about 70% of the time. They somehow intuited which scents smelled 'scared' or 'happy' because that's what the mother felt when she smelled them."

Chuck thinks back to when Negan was upset about the anniversary of Lucille's death.

"Negan was very upset once," she starts to explain. "And I think I might've felt it. At the time, I thought maybe I just felt so bad for him that it affected me. But maybe..." She lets out a breath. "I just felt like I had to help him. I had to get him through that."

Dr. Bailey nods. "That's something that I'd like to explore more with you guys." She types a little bit more before speaking again. "You know, I did know Negan. Before. Years ago. I never saw him in rut, but I saw him with his mate. I saw that protective side to him. But it was nothing like what I saw in the ER."

"Oh." Chuck has no idea what to say to that.

"Have you talked about mating with him?"

Chuck's face turns red at the mention of "mating", but she supposes it's a relevant question. "We're taking things slow, but... I mean... I guess that's the end goal." She shrugs. "I guess."

Dr. Bailey finishes typing then turns back back to Chuck. "That's good. But you should seriously talk to him about your next heat. Because he's most likely going to go into rut again at the same time. The easiest solution to both your dilemmas would be to spend that time together."

Chuck swears her whole head gets hot as the blood pools just under her skin at the doctor's suggestion. "Oh... yeah. I-I understand."

Dr. Bailey picks up on her apprehension. "Just talk to him about it. Tell him exactly what you expect from him and any concerns you have. Communication is key."

Chuck nods at her doctor. Maybe she's right. Maybe she really needs to talk everything through more completely with Negan.

Later that night, Negan knocks on Chuck's door with a pizza in his hands.

"Ooo," she calls out after opening the door. "Fulci's pizza tonight?"

"Yup. I don't wanna fuckin' spoil you on the homemade shit," he jokes.

Chuck steps to the side to allow Negan to enter. "I'm very appreciative of anything you bring me to eat."

Negan sets the pizza on the counter. "I'll remember that."

Chuck gets the plates for them and they eat. The whole time, though, she's thinking about her talk with Dr. Bailey and the fact that she really should talk with Negan. Her distraction doesn't escape Negan, but he doesn't bring it up until after they're done with the meal and both sitting on the couch.

"You okay?" he asks.

"Yeah," she answers quickly.

"You sure?"

She lets out a breath. "I went to the doctor today. She wants to study us."

"Study us? Why the fuck would she want to do that?"

"Because of how..." she searches for the right word, " _compatible_ we are, I guess."

"Oh."

"I said I'd ask you."

"It's Dr. Bailey, right?"

"Yeah. She said she knew you."

He scratches at his beard. "Yeah. She was Lucille's doctor." He lets out a sigh, not elaborating on that. "I guess I'll fuckin' let her study me. As long as she doesn't fuckin' probe me or any shit like that."

Chuck giggles. "I don't think there's much you can learn scientifically through probing," she jokes. "But I guess I wouldn't rule it out."

He chuckles, but he sees that she's still nervous. "Is that what's got you looking like you're sucking on lemons."

She shakes her head and looks down. "Dr. Bailey told me... I should talk to you."

"Okay...? You don't wanna talk to me?"

She looks at him, her cheeks growing red and her stomach doing flip flops. The subject of sex has always been embarrassing to her, and now she's supposed to talk about it with the most handsome man she's ever met, pretty much. And she knows he's very experienced.

"She said we should talk about..." she takes a deep breath, "my next heat. And your next rut. And how we should probably... you know... be together for it."

"Ah." He nods once. "I see. You're nervous about being with your first alpha."

She nods, though that's not the entirety of it. He's obviously assuming that Chuck has _some_ experience with sex, which isn't the case.

He runs his hand down his face with a sigh. "Well... It's not much different from being with a beta," he says casually, hoping to put Chuck at ease. "There's just the knot. And, well, the general fuckin' size, I guess. But the rest of it's pretty much like you'd expect."

She knows she has to tell him the truth. "I-" She looks away in embarrassment. "I've never been with a beta."

"What?"

She finally looks up at him. "I've never been with anyone."

His eyebrows raise in surprise. "Really?"

She nods.

"No one?"

She shakes her head.

"Shit," he mutters and scratches at the back of his neck. "I didn't think anyone was a fuckin' virgin nowadays."

"Well, I physically _couldn't_ be with anyone before my presentation," she tries to reason, but her shame starts to build. "Not that anyone would've wanted me anyway," she comments under her breath.

"That's not true, sweetheart," he responds genuinely and it makes her look up at him. "Guarantee any guy that saw you would've seen what a cute thing you are."

His comment makes her smile, but her insecurity won't let her fully believe it. "I don't know..."

"You know you're fuckin' good at hiding away. If you woulda put yourself out there, you'd have fuckin' men falling over themselves just to talk to you."

She giggles. "I can see why you get all the ladies. Silver tongue."

"I'm not putting you on, sweetheart. It's the truth."

She can see that he's being genuine and it makes her even more flustered. She has absolutely no idea how to respond to what he's saying.

Negan smiles back at her. He thinks she's so cute when she gets flustered, but he can see that she doesn't know what to say. "So, what did you want to talk about?" He tries to move along.

"Um... well..." She clears her throat and fidgets in her seat. "I don't really know... you know." She giggles. "I guess I'm just really nervous about all of it for when my heat comes."

"Look, honey." He turns more to face her. "I don't want you to have your first time be when you're in fuckin' heat with an alpha in rut. That's like running before you can walk."

"Oh... okay." She's not really understanding what he's suggesting.

"I wanna take shit slow with you, but we don't know when your heat'll fuckin' hit since it's been so wonky. And I'm not just saying this shit to get in your pants sooner."

Chuck scrunches up her face in confusion for a moment until she realizes what he's talking about. "Oh! You want to sleep with me _now_?"

He laughs at her reaction. "Not this fuckin' second. I mean, _yeah_ , I want to this fuckin' second, but I'm not _going_ to. You need a little buildup for your first time."

"Oh, okay."

"Shit, I haven't slept with a virgin since I was a fuckin' teenager."

She looks away in shame for herself. "I'm sorry."

He pulls her face up to look at him. "Don't fuckin' apologize, baby girl." He tucks some of her hair behind her ear. "You know what, why don't we do this the old fashioned way. How 'bout I take you out to dinner tomorrow night. You know The Whiskey Lounge?"

"Yeah. It's fancy. I've never been."

"Well I know the owner and he'll get me a table. Seven o'clock sound good?"

"Yeah. That's good."

The next day, Chuck roots around in her closet for something appropriate to wear to a fancy restaurant. Coming up empty handed, she decides to go to the internet for help.

" _Anyone know a good place open today to buy an outfit appropriate to wear to The Whiskey Lounge?_ " She types into Facebook. She doesn't have a lot of friends on the website, but there are a few people that she's friendly with, including some nice girls from college that share the same interests. They aren't exactly close friends, but they have similar senses of humor and always comment on each other's memes.

After a few minutes, one of the girls mentions the store A Night to Remember, which isn't too far away. Half an hour later, Chuck walks through the doors. It's a pretty good sized store with one section for dresses, one for jewelry, one for shoes, and one for makeup. Which is good because Chuck needs all that stuff.

A beautiful tall beta with fiery red hair meets Chuck just a few feet in. "Hello. I'm Frankie. Can I help you look for anything?"

"Uh. Yeah, actually. I have a date tonight at The Whiskey Lounge and I have nothing to wear."

Frankie starts to lead Chuck further into the store. "Any ideas on what you want?"

"I have no idea. Dressing up isn't really something I do a lot. Or ever."

Frankie chuckles. "That's okay. We'll get you looking perfect."

They start to look through some racks for a few minutes before another worker comes up to them.

"Need some help, Frankie?"

Chuck turns around to see her and both women instantly recognize each other. Tonya, the woman Eldritch invited over to Negan's apartment is standing before Chuck. Though today, she has her black hair in a sleek bun and is dressed in a stylish black dress.

"Oh, shit," Tonya says under her breath.

"Um, hi," Chuck greets awkwardly.

"Do you guys know each other?" Frankie asks, confused at what's happening around her.

Tonya explains almost nonchalantly. "She's the one that got an eyeful of me outside of Negan's."

"Oh." Frankie had heard the story from Tonya right after it happened.

"I'm sorry about that," Tonya apologizes easily. "I don't know what Negan was doing, but he asked me to come over in just a coat, I swear. I don't want you to think I just go around knocking on people's doors naked like that."

Chuck realizes that Negan never told Tonya about Eldritch, which she's actually a little mad about. It probably slipped his mind, but this woman was used and didn't even know it.

"Negan should have told you what really happened," Chuck starts. "It _wasn't_ actually Negan that was texting you. This guy, my boss hacked into Negan's phone to try to use you to get me mad at Negan."

Tonya looks confused. "That seems weird."

"My boss is an alpha and Negan's, you know, an alpha, too. And I'm omega, if you didn't know. And me and Negan are getting closer so Eldritch, my boss, isn't okay with that. I guess. He wants me for himself."

"Shit," Tonya says in shock. "I mean, excuse my language, but that's fucked up."

"Yeah. I'm sorry you got roped into it."

"Did you call the cops?" Frankie asks.

"We talked to one, but there wasn't enough evidence. So he couldn't do anything."

"Shit," Tonya says once again. "Your boss seems dangerous. That's really disturbing behavior."

Chuck shrugs. "Yeah."

"Wait," Frankie calls out. "Is this date you're going on with Negan?"

"Yeah," Chuck answers.

Both beta women share a look before Tonya turns back to Chuck and lays her hand on Chuck's shoulder.

"Oh, honey," she starts softly. "You seem like a really sweet girl so you should know that Negan isn't really boyfriend material. I bet he's slept with half the city's female population." Tonya doesn't really know this girl, but she doesn't want to see her get hurt.

Frankie nods her assent.

Chuck realizes that the women are trying to protect her, which is really nice. But Chuck already knows what they're talking about.

"I know he's..." Chuck tries to think of what she wants to say, "been around the block a few times."

"More than a few," Tonya quips.

Chuck knows it's true and she knows that it really shouldn't bother her, since he did all that before he even knew her. But it does send a tiny burst of jealousy within her. But she's not going to hold it against him.

"We talked about it," Chuck explains. "I told him I'd never talk to him again if he cheats on me. And I mean it."

"Good for you." Tonya pats Chuck's shoulder. "Don't you let him get away with shit. The man's a good lay, but he can be a real asshole."

Chuck giggles. "Yeah."

They get back to the matter at hand to find Chuck a dress.

Frankie sifts through a rack. "I think..." she pulls out what she was looking for, " _this_ would look very good on you."

"Oh." All Chuck notices is that the black dress doesn't seem to have a whole lot of fabric to it.

"Oh yeah!" Tonya pulls out part of the skirt. "You would look amazing in this!" she exclaims excitedly.

"I've never worn anything like this," Chuck mentions.

"Let's get you to try it on." Frankie ushers Chuck into the changing room with the dress in hand. She hangs it on the hanger and closes the door, leaving Chuck to put the dress on by herself.

She lets out a deep breath and strips down to just her underwear, since this dress is not one you can wear with a bra. It's cut at mid thigh and has a subtle v plunge in the front with an open back. She pulls it on and gives herself a perfunctory look before stepping out of the fitting room.

"Oh wow!" Tonya comes up too Chuck and starts preening her. "I'm jealous! You look so good. This _has_ to be the dress."

"Do you think?" Chuck asks as she smooths the dress over her. "Is it too... you know... skimpy?"

"It looks really good," Frankie concurs. "Perfect for date night. And it's supposed to be warm tonight. So I think this is the one."

Chuck looks down at herself. "Do I need a bra or something?"

"You omegas are so lucky to not only get big boobs, but they're perky," Tonya comments. "You don't need one."

"This dress is on sale, too," Frankie mentions.

"And we can give you 20% extra off just cuz we like you," Tonya adds.

"Well, then I think I'll take it. But I need shoes, too. And makeup."

Tonya and Frankie help Chuck with all those things at a very good price. Even though both women are very different from Chuck, they are very nice and genuine with her. Tonya even makes sure to show Chuck how to apply the makeup that she bought, since Chuck confessed that she had never really done her makeup before.

"You tell me if Negan is an asshole," Tonya says as Chuck is headed to leave the store. "I'll punch him in the dick for you."

Chuck laughs at the over the top woman. "I'll tell you."

By the time Chuck gets home, it's time for her to jump in the shower to get ready. She washes up, then moisturizes her skin with lightly scented lotion to make sure she smells nice and clean. Deciding on leaving her hair mostly natural, she just blow dries it to highlight her natural waves. Then she applies the makeup she just bought, trying to do it like Tonya told her.

When Chuck hears the knock on her door (right on time), she still has to get her shoes on. She rushes to the door and opens it, but doesn't get a good look at Negan before she's turning away from him.

"I just have to get my shoes on. Sorry." She heads back over to the couch where the shoebox is.

Chuck moves away from Negan so fast that he can't really see her, either. But as he follows her into her apartment, his eyes slide down the skin on her back to the bottom of her skirt all the way down her legs to the fuzzy slippers on her feet.

"You mean you're not wearing those?" He points to her feet as she sits down on the couch.

"You think I could get away with it?" she jokes as she takes the black heels from the box and slips them on her feet.

When she bends down to fasten the ankle strap, Negan can't help but stare at her cleavage. "I think you could get away with pretty much anything." He manages to flick his gaze away in time to prevent getting caught for ogling her.

Chuck finally stands up and takes in the sight of Negan. He's wearing a a gray vest with a periwinkle blue button up underneath, but the collar is open and the sleeves are rolled up to his forearm. Black slacks and black shoes round out the outfit. When her eyes get to his face, she sees that he's wearing his black framed glasses and has his hair slicked back, but in that tousled sort of way that looks a little less formal.

Negan gets the chance to take Chuck in, too. He swears she looks like she just walked out of one of his fantasies. He was always a sucker for a woman in a black dress, and Chuck is no exception. Especially with her ample breasts and shapely hips. The urge to stick his hand out and touch every inch of her exposed skin is so strong, but he holds back.

"You look great," he comments after taking in a breath.

"You, too."

"You ready?"

"Yep."

They head out to the restaurant and are seated quickly. Negan holds the chair out for Chuck as she sits down, like a perfect gentleman.

"Thank you." She looks around as Negan takes his seat. "This place is so nice."

The walls are covered in dark wood paneling with deep burgundy patterned carpet on the floor. White table cloths cover all the tables with dark leather chairs tucked neatly underneath them. A soft lighting scheme makes the whole room seem very intimate.

"I went to school with the owner. He's one of the only non assholes I know."

When the waiter comes over spouting off some complicated special with a lot of French words, Chuck is immediately intimidated. Negan sees this and decides to take some pressure off of her and orders first.

"You know what, that sounds good. I'll have the special."

Chuck looks from Negan to the waiter. "Me, too."

"Two specials. I'll get that in for you guys." The waiter gathers the menus and leaves.

Chuck leans toward Negan to whisper, "I think I'm too plain for this place," she jokes.

Negan chuckles. "You've really never been to a nice restaurant before?"

"The nicest one was when me and Aaron took my mom out for her fortieth birthday. Which was... almost a decade ago, now."

"How is Aaron doing?"

Chuck shrugs a little. "Okay. He's getting through it as best he can."

"That's good. It's... uh. It's tough losing a fuckin' spouse."

Chuck nods, knowing that Negan has first hand experience with that. But he doesn't really like to talk about it, so she doesn't push.

The food comes out and, of course, it's delicious. Chuck isn't exactly sure what it is, but she loves it. The conversation continues easily as they eat.

"I saw Tonya when I went to buy this dress," Chuck explains.

"Oh?"

"Why didn't you tell her what was going on? That it wasn't _you_ she was talking with?"

"Honestly, it slipped my fuckin' mind. I didn't have my phone and then all the craziness with your uncle... I just kinda fuckin' forgot."

Chuck nods at the reasonable explanation. "I told her about it being Eldritch. She thought it was weird."

"It _is_ fuckin' weird."

"She and Frankie, the other worker, were really nice though. Tonya kept complimenting me and how I looked. But... now that I think about it, she was probably just trying to make a sale."

"I doubt it. Tonya tells it like it is. But she _was_ probably fuckin' hitting on you."

She giggles. "Really?"

"Yeah. Tonya's into girls, too."

Chuck cheeks redden at the thought. "That's pretty flattering, I guess."

"Well, they steered you in the right direction with that fuckin' dress." He bites his lip as he looks her over for the millionth time that night.

Chuck can't help but giggle in response. "I'm glad you like it." She doesn't really know how to take a compliment, so that's all she says.

"I like it very much."

Chuck giggles again and this time, her blush travels down her chest.

The moment is interrupted by the waiter dropping by the table. "Any dessert tonight?"

Chuck shakes her head, being completely full already from the meal.

"Just the check," Negan responds to the young beta male who quickly leaves to retrieve it.

After Negan pays, they walk outside to wait for the valet to bring the car back around. As they stand there, Negan absentmindedly places his hand on Chuck's back. The skin to skin contact surprises Chuck and she turns her head to look up at Negan. When he sees the movement, he realizes what's going on.

"Sorry, sweetheart." He removes his hand and takes a step away, interpreting Chuck's reaction to mean that she didn't want the contact.

"It's okay. I don't mind." She closes the gap between them by taking a side step of her own.

A slow grin builds on his face and he lifts his arm behind Chuck to run his fingertips down her exposed back. Her skin is soft and smooth and all Negan can think about is if every inch of her skin feels that way.

His motion causes her to laugh. "That tickles!"

Just then, Negan's black Dodge Challenger comes into view and they get in to go home. As Chuck sits beside Negan in his car, those butterflies start to flutter in her stomach and she has the distinct feeling that she doesn't want this night to end. She wonders if it would be a mistake to sleep with him now after this date. It _was_ nice date. And sex is going to happen eventually. They've already talked about it. So why wait?

As she thinks it over more seriously, she feels her chest tighten. She shouldn't feel anxious about having sex with Negan, right? Is that a sign she's just not ready?

Negan, on the other hand, forces himself not to even entertain the thought of taking Chuck to bed with him. She told him she wanted to go slow and he agreed. Even if it's going to be hard (which it definitely is), he knows that's the right thing to do. To get her more comfortable with him, and even her own body, before they go further is what he needs to happen.

When they enter the building, Negan reaches out to take Chuck's hand before even really thinking about it. It's like his body is working on its own. Neither of them backs away from it, though, and they walk hand in hand until they get to their doors.

Negan moves to stand in front of Chuck, never letting go of her hand. "Did you have a good time?"

She smiles up at him. "It was amazing. Thank you."

"I had fuckin' fun, too." He takes his free hand and cups her cheek, the urge to place his lips on hers too strong to fight.

Chuck starts to breathe quickly. She's nervous to kiss him, but she doesn't want to back out of it. But then her mind is flooded with those ugly voices that tell her he won't enjoy the kiss. That the last kiss she had was when she got roped into going to the Christmas party at work two years ago and some drunk guy she never even talked to before shoved his tongue down her throat. And the kiss she had before that was her first kiss, which came from a high school game of spin the bottle. So she's most likely not skilled.

Those voices go quiet when she feels his lips softly pressing against her own. It's like electricity goes through her, completely clearing her mind of anything but the alpha in front of her. _Her_ alpha.

Negan drops her hand and wraps his arm around her waist, bringing her in closer. He had only meant to give her a peck, but now it's like he can't stop himself. And how she's responding to him is spurring him on.

One of her hands snakes around his neck so she can bury her fingers in his hair. Her other arm comes up between them, her fingertips lightly dancing across his chin to his jaw.

He can't take it anymore and deepens the kiss, swiping his tongue over her lips until she grants him access, which she does almost immediately. It's like her own body is moving for her, taking Negan's lead and responding accordingly.

They kiss passionately until they have to come up for air. But the second Negan's lips leave hers, her anxiety comes right back.

"Uh." She takes a step back and places her fingers on her mouth, the feel of his lips still contained there. "I think I should go inside," she comments breathlessly.

"Yeah," Negan agrees. He can feel that he won't be able to hold himself back after that. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"I liked going out with you," she comments, just so he knows that she really did enjoy herself.

Negan has to fight the urge not to take a step forwards to wrap her in his arms. "I did, too."

Chuck is torn between jumping into his arms and turning and leaving. But that tightness in her chest comes back, allowing her to make the choice. "Well, goodnight, Negan." She turns around and enters her apartment, leaving Negan out in the hall.

He stands there for a few moments, successfully talking himself out of knocking on her door. When he finally goes into his apartment, he collapses onto his couch with a heavy breath.

"Fuck," he groans and he rakes his hands down his face.

He has newfound respect for his alpha side for having stopped himself from taking Chuck when she was in heat. Because he still isn't 100% sure he's not going to march across the hall and knock on her door, even though he knows he shouldn't.

"Goddamnit."

He needs to calm himself down. And since his little black book is closed for business right now, his only option is his right hand.

Eldritch hates not knowing what's going on with Chuck. Not only was he forced to close his window into her life by having to delete all the software he put on her phone, but her uncle dying has made it so he can't even talk to her in a work capacity, since she's on bereavement leave. The only thing he can do is look at her Facebook, which she doesn't even update that often. Unless you count the posts about how excited she is for Red Dead Redemption 2 to be released next month or memes about cats. There's nothing that really tells him what she's doing, where she's doing it, or who she's doing it with.

And Negan is a blank, too, since he isn't on social media at all. And Eldritch doesn't dare to rifle through Negan's or Chuck's phones again, since they're suspicious of him already.

Eldritch runs one hand through his hair as he uses the other to click on his mouse, finalizing the order for a bouquet of flowers to be sent to Chuck's apartment. He had initially left only his name on the card, but decided against it, instead, saying the flowers were from the whole office. He doesn't really like giving up some of the credit, but he thinks that maybe seeing his name on the card so soon after his plan crashed and burned might push Chuck further away from him. And he does _not_ want that.

When Chuck starts working again, Eldritch forces himself not to contact her. Now is not the time. He just has to give her some space, give her the time to forget everything. And give Negan the time to mess things up all on his own.

A few days later, Eldritch sees Chuck's Facebook post about going to The Whiskey Lounge. It makes him audibly growl as he reads the words. Sure, he doesn't know the context, but he's pretty sure this is a date. Chuck wouldn't be going to a fancy restaurant like that with her mother. And The Whiskey Lounge seems like it's Negan's kind of venue.

The restaurant's computer systems are easy to get into, both for security and the in-house computers that show reservations. Sure enough, Eldritch sees a reservation under the name Negan for a table of two at seven o'clock.

It makes his blood boil. Things are not going the way he wants. He tried to get Chuck away from Negan, but now they're going on a date to a nice restaurant. And he is powerless to stop it.

But he can watch.

He hacks into the security cameras, which, luckily for Eldritch, this restaurant has many. He sees Chuck and Negan take their seats at the table, but it's not in an ideal spot for the cameras. He can't really see their faces that well, which means he can't really see their expressions. Chuck could be laughing at Negan's jokes or scowling at him for all Eldritch knows. And that's what he holds onto. Maybe she's not enjoying herself at all. Maybe she'll reject him outright.

Eldritch follows the pair with the cameras as they head out to stand by the valet. He switches to the outside camera, but can only see their backs, which doesn't help with trying to determine Chuck's emotion. Eldritch does, however, get a good view of Negan's hand caressing the skin of Chuck's back. And then he gets a good look of her laughing when she turns her face to Negan.

"No!" Eldritch hisses to himself. "He can't have her."

Time is running out. And Eldritch is desperate to have Chuck all to himself. To _claim_ her as his before Negan has the chance.


	11. Part 11

"So, how'd it go?" Diane asks excitedly from her seat opposite her daughter at their usual table in their favorite coffee shop. When Chuck had told Diane about Negan asking her out to dinner, she was a little nervous at first, but then she decided to put her trust in Negan. Now, she's trying to get the details out of Chuck to make sure that trust wasn't misplaced.

Chuck can't help but smile as she thinks about the night before. "It was really nice. The restaurant was the fanciest I've ever been in and the food was awesome."

"Negan behaved himself?" Diane asks after taking a sip of her coffee.

"Actually, he was a perfect gentleman. Opened doors, held out chairs, the whole nine yards."

"I shouldn't expect to be a grandma in nine months, should I?"

"God, Mom!" Chuck's face turns bright red at the insinuation. "No! You don't have to worry about that."

Diane holds her hands up. "Just asking."

Chuck shakes her head at her mother's antics. "We're taking our time with that kind of stuff," she explains.

"I'm glad Negan is being a gentleman, then."

"He is, actually."

"Why don't you invite him over for your birthday?"

"That's not for a couple weeks yet."

"It'll give him time to get you a gift."

"He doesn't have to get me anything. I'm not even sure if we're at the gift giving stage in our relationship, yet. We've only had _one_ date."

Diane raises her eyebrows. "You guys don't exactly follow the normal handbook, though."

Chuck shrugs a little. "I guess."

"Ask him, anyway."

"Okay."

Diane brings her cup up to take a sip of her coffee "Since, uh..." she clears her throat. "Since we're on the subject of my possible grandchildren-"

"We weren't on that subject," Chuck interrupts. "We moved past that to never be mentioned again."

"Seriously, sweetie. I've been asking around the hospital and googling a lot about your birth control options."

Chuck groans at the embarrassing topic. "Mom..."

"You're in a relationship now, Chuck. And you need to be prepared. You are _not_ ready for a child."

"I know that. I don't want a kid right now."

"Then you need some form of birth control. And since you can't take the suppressants, it's going to be more complicated for you."

Chuck's face is bright red at her mother's choice of topic. "Really, Mom?" She lets out a petulant groan.

"Charlotte Josephine," is all Diane has to say for her daughter to straighten up.

Chuck lets out a huff. "Condoms don't seem that complicated. And I'm _pretty sure_ Negan knows how to use them."

Diane ignores her daughter's sarcasm. "Condoms don't work with a knot, honey."

"They don't?"

"No. They'll break or slide off."

"Oh." Chuck didn't know that. She never _needed_ to know that before now. "Then... what?"

"There's a thing called an omega condom. It's like a regular female condom that betas use, but it's able to take a knot."

"Oh. I remember seeing 'omega condom' mentioned on the Alpha For You app, but I didn't realize it was something different from a normal... condom. I think they would've provided them for me if I used their services." Chuck shrugs a shoulder. "Well, I'll just pick some up from the pharmacy myself, then."

"Only alphas can buy them. With a prescription."

Chuck scrunches up her face. "What? Why? That's stupid. _Anyone_ can buy _normal_ condoms."

"There's still people that don't want omegas to be independent. Suppressants only became legal twenty years ago. And that was just because omegas in heat were sending alphas into rut. And people were getting hurt." Diane takes a drink of her coffee before continuing. "The omega condom lets omegas go into heat but not get pregnant, so I guess the old white alphas in the government are against it."

Chuck lets out a heavy breath. "God," she calls out on disgust. "Why is it anyone else's business if an omega doesn't want a kid?"

"Because they see it as an omega taking the opportunity to have a kid away from an _alpha_. And alphas' rights always trump everyone else's, it seems."

"Well that sucks."

"It does."

Chuck scratches at her face as she lets out a sigh. "So I have to get _Negan_ to buy me some omega condoms."

"Yes."

Chuck throws her head back and groans. "As if this stuff wasn't awkward enough!"

Later that day when Chuck gets back to her building, she stands waiting for the elevator in the lobby. When the doors open, she's surprised to see Negan standing in the elevator with his hamper of laundry.

"Hey, sweetheart."

As Chuck enters the elevator, the smell of Negan's freshly washed laundry fills her nose. "Did you have to fight for a dryer this time?"

Negan leans forward to hit the close door button. "I punched Mrs. Grant right in the face when she tried to get the last open one."

Chuck laughs at his joke. "I'm pretty sure she can hold her own, so you probably just made her mad."

"Probably." He laughs. "I really should stop fuckin' waiting until Sunday afternoon to do laundry. It's like the fuckin' thunderdome down there."

She laughs. "I wouldn't be caught dead down there on Sundays."

The doors open on their floor and they both exit.

Chuck clears her throat, getting Negan's attention. "Can I talk to you about something? Well, two things actually."

"Of course, sweetheart. You can't talk to me about fuckin' anything."

"Okay."

When they get into Negan's apartment, he sets his clothes in his bedroom then comes back out to sit next to Chuck on the couch.

She lets out a heavy breath. "Remember I told you I was going out for coffee with my mom today?"

He smiles at her, wondering where this is going. "I remember."

"Well... First off, my mom wanted me to invite you over to her house for my birthday on the seventeenth."

"Oh." He was expecting something much less innocuous to come out of her mouth.

"You don't have to," she's quick to say. "It's just gonna be me and my mom and Uncle Aaron." She shrugs, not wanting him to feel obligated.

"No, no. Of course I'll celebrate your fuckin' birthday with you."

His answer makes her smile. "Okay. I'll tell her. She usually makes a dinner and then we have cake."

"Sounds fuckin' great."

She nods, stalling for time on the other subject she wanted to talk about.

Negan watches her for a moment, seeing the gears turning behind her eyes. "And the other thing...?"

She lets out a breath. "Well... My mom brought up... Uh. Well, you know... With my condition and all..."

He sees her getting flustered. "Just breathe, sweetheart," he coos as he places his arm around her.

"I can't take suppressants," she blurts out finally. "Which means I'm not on birth control."

"Ah." Negan lifts his arm off of her shoulders to tuck it in by his side. "I see."

"And my mom said condoms won't take knots."

He scrubs his hand down his face as he thinks over what she's saying. It's been a long time since he's knotted an omega. Well over a decade. And that was with Lucille. So he hasn't had to worry about safe sex with a knot since he started dating her. Since betas can't take a knot, normal condoms work fine with them and that's what he's used to.

"So... do we have options?" He wants to knot Chuck. And it's certainly going to happen during her heat, if not before then. But he doesn't want to get her pregnant. Not yet, anyways. But he's unaware of what they can do.

"There's something called an omega condom," she explains. "But _you_ have to buy them because omegas can't. And you need your doctor to call it in to the pharmacy."

He's never heard of such a thing before. But he's more focused on the second part of Chuck's statement. "Omegas can't get buy them? That's fuckin' stupid."

"That's what I said."

"I mean, I'll definitely do it. But it's stupid you have to jump through those fuckin' hoops to get one."

"Yeah." She shrugs. "I can give you money for it."

He shakes his head. "No. I'll get it. It's no big deal."

"Okay." She nods. "I-I still want to go slow, though. I just want to be prepared. For when the time comes."

"I get it. I'm not gonna fuckin' push you, honey. I'll let you decide when you're ready."

"Yeah. Okay." She rubs her hands over her thighs, not knowing what else to say. "I guess that's all I wanted to talk about."

"You want me to make you dinner later?"

She bites her lip to try to hide her smile. "That sounds nice."

He chuckles low in his chest at her reaction to him. "Can I get a kiss until then?"

She giggles as her cheeks redden. "Okay."

He sets his hand gently on her cheek and leans in to kiss her lips sweetly. Despite the urge, he successfully holds himself back from trying to deepen the kiss, leaving it at a peck. When they pull away from each other, both of them have smiles on their faces.

Chuck stands from the couch and starts to walk to the door. "See you later," she calls out over her shoulder, her face still flushed.

He smirks up at her. "Bye, sweetheart."

As Negan prepares the meal he'll share with Chuck, he gets a call on his phone. After a few days of calls with his cell phone company (and a lot of yelling) he got everything straightened out and got his old number back with a replacement phone to boot. An even better phone at that. An iPhone like Chuck's, so she can show him how to use it. He tries his hardest to listen when she tells him how to do things with it, but he only retains about fifteen percent, just enough not to blow the thing up, he figures.

He pulls the phone out of his pocket and sees Rick's name at the top. "It's been three fuckin' weeks," is how he answers the call. He had been texting Rick every few days enquiring about his phone that Rick's office is supposed to be searching through to find evidence on Eldritch. All Rick would say is that he'd call when they were done.

"What do you expect?" Rick responds. "The lab guys have been busy with _murders and drug dealers_."

Negan lets out a huff, supposing Rick's probably right. "Did they at least find anything?"

"No. It was clean. Whoever cleared it did it thoroughly."

"We _know_ who did it," Negan bites back. "Eldritch fuckin' Ruben."

Rick nods and grunts an approval. "I did a background check on him. One speeding ticket. That's it."

Negan huffs a breath. "So you think he's a fuckin' saint?"

Frustration laces Rick's words, though that's not new when he's talking to Negan. Despite the fact that Rick considers the man a friend, Negan still has the innate ability to annoy the piss out of him on occasion. "No. I'm just telling you all I know."

"Fine." Negan drags his hand down his face. "Thanks for looking, I guess."

"Has he reached out to you guys?"

"Chuck got some fuckin' flowers after her uncle died. But the card said it was from her whole office. I think he was behind it, though."

"That's nothing we can make a move on."

"I know," Negan admits dejectedly. "I just know in my fuckin' heart this guy's bad news."

Rick understands the feeling. "Sometimes gut instinct can save lives. I've seen it more than once in the field. Just use your head. Protect yourselves."

"Me and Chuck are together now," Negan comments. "And I'm not gonna let any-fuckin'-thing hurt her."

"You claimed her?"

"Not yet." The ease that those words leave his mouth stun him. After Lucille, he was dead set on never taking another mate. And though he hasn't taken the time to seriously entertain the thought of claiming Chuck, it seems so natural to expect that he will actually do it in the future.

"I'm not trying to force your hand or anything, but a claim sends a clear message to other alphas."

"Look, Rick. It's not the right fuckin' time for that. I'm not gonna claim the fuckin' girl unless she's goddamn sure about it. And I don't want her fuckin' decision to be swayed by fear of what that motherfuckin' knothead Eldritch might do to her."

Even though Negan can't see it, Rick holds his free hand up in a placating manner. "Okay, Negan. I guess I don't really know what goes into claiming," he admits. Since he's a beta male, he'll never claim a mate like an alpha. And it's just generally accepted that omegas get claimed, so it seems automatic to assume that an omega won't stay unclaimed for long. Rick had never thought about the thought process omegas and alphas must go through before they make that life altering decision.

"Yeah." Negan scratches at the back of his neck. He doesn't really blame Rick for assuming he'd claim Chuck. It's a logical assumption.

"Well." Rick lets out a sigh. "Keep me updated. If he does anything, let me know. I'll keep my eye on him, too."

"Thanks, Rick."

After Negan hangs up and shoves his phone back in his pocket, he lets out a heavy breath as he leans over the counter. He had hoped the lab guys would find something to pin on Eldritch so this could be over, but that's not the case.

The next week flies by with Chuck and Negan continuing their budding relationship. Despite the fact that Chuck certainly feels the urge to be with Negan in a more physical way, her insecurities keep her from going too far with him. And since Negan is going at her pace, he holds himself back.

That doesn't mean that things are completely G rated all the time.

Chuck and Negan are sitting on her couch binge watching Stranger Things with a bowl of popcorn sitting on Chuck's lap.

"You weren't even alive in the eighties," Negan comments then shoves some popcorn in his mouth.

Chuck giggles. "But I've seen all the eighties movies they're referencing."

Negan suddenly realizes what he had said. "Shit, you weren't even alive in the eighties."

She shrugs, not really thinking that's a big deal. "What was it like to be alive in the fifties?" she quips.

"I wasn't fuckin' alive in the fifties!"

She laughs at her own joke. "Oh. My mistake."

"You naughty little girl. Come here." He pulls her to him, sending the bowl of popcorn spilling to the floor.

Chuck doesn't get much time to think about the mess before Negan leans over her and starts to tickle her sides.

"Negan!" she squeals as uncontrollable laughs leave her mouth. She tries to push him away, but he's relentless.

Eventually, he has her pushed down on the couch as he hovers over her, continuing to tickle her torso. "This'll teach you," he calls out jovially.

"Negan! Negan, stop!" She laughs further. "I'm gonna pee my pants!"

"Alright, alright." He stops, but doesn't move away from her.

As she regains her composure, she realizes just how close Negan is and it causes her heart rate to pick back up.

Negan smooths Chuck's hair away from her face. "You look so fuckin' cute with your cheeks all red." He brings his hand back up to cup her cheek.

She bites her lip demurely. "I blush easily," she says, not knowing what else to say to him.

He chuckles. "I know." He bends down to kiss her, waiting for her to move away or stop him.

But she doesn't. And only a few moments after their lips meet, they both deepen the kiss. Chuck buries her fingers in his hair as she tangles her tongue with his, eliciting a low groan from him. The noise sends a jolt of heat through her body to pool at her core. The heat only builds when his hand slides under her T-shirt and up her side. His fingers dancing across her skin feel so good that she almost gets lost in the sensation.

Almost.

All at once, those voices start in her head telling her that all those other women he's been with probably don't feel like her. Is she too chubby? Does Negan prefer those sleek curves over her soft ones? Or is her skin not flawless enough? She has those dry patches that surely must be sticking out to him. And what about-

"Chuck?" his voice draws her out of her thoughts.

"What?"

"You went all tense and stopped fuckin' moving. Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

Negan lifts off of her and sits up on the couch, wondering if he did something wrong.

"I'm sorry," she says quietly as she sits up, too.

"No. Don't apologize." He takes a deep breath. "Was it something I did?"

She turns to him. "No. I-" She clears her throat. "You didn't do anything wrong. It wasn't you."

"Okay." He looks around at the popcorn littered all over the floor. "I'll clean this up."

Chuck just nods, feeling stupid and disappointed in herself.

After Negan leaves, Chuck is left with those same feelings of inadequacy that have plagued her for her entire adult life. But instead of wallowing in that, she decides that she's just going to try really hard to be good for Negan. Since she's still woefully inexperienced when it comes to sex, she goes back to the next best thing, watching a lot of porn on the internet.

The next Monday, Chuck and Negan go to Dr. Bailey's office for their first meeting with her.

"I'm nervous," Chuck whispers to Negan as they wait in one of the exam rooms for the doctor.

Negan takes her hand in his. "Don't be." He brings her hand up to his mouth and kisses it softly.

A few minutes later, Dr. Bailey enters and after greeting the pair, she sets herself up much like she did the last time Chuck saw her. "So," she starts. "Any developments?"

Chuck shrugs, not really knowing what to say.

Negan sees her shyness and jumps in. "We're taking things slow."

Dr. Bailey continues to type in the computer. "Are you planning to be together for her next heat?"

"Yeah," Negan answers as Chuck just nods.

"Good, good." Dr. Bailey turns to look at them. "I know this is going to be a little weird for you guys, but I want to stress that studying you might give us more understanding on how alphas and omegas react both before and after a pair bond. And of course the attraction of omegas and alphas to one another. Especially since you seem to have a stronger than normal attraction to each other."

"I've never been a lab rat before," Negan jokes, easing a little of Chuck's anxiety.

Dr. Bailey chuckles. "We won't force you through too many mazes. But I _will_ ask for blood samples from both of you today to test different things like hormone levels and certain DNA markers. If you're okay with that, of course."

"That's okay," Chuck answers.

Negan gives a little shrug. "Why not?"

Dr. Bailey brings in the nurse to take the blood samples then sits back down to talk to the pair after the nurse leaves.

"Now I'd like to ask you some general questions. They might get a little personal, but it's important that you answer them _truthfully_. If you don't want to answer, we'll just skip it."

Negan and Chuck nod, though Chuck is feeling even more nervous.

"First thing's first. Have you had any sexual contact with each other?"

"No," Negan answers quickly as Chuck's face blooms red. "We made out a few times. No contact downstairs."

"Okay," Dr. Bailey responds as she types on her computer. "A lot of these questions are going to be directed at you, Negan, since I already have Chuck's history and medical record."

"Alright then." Negan doesn't exactly have a problem with that, but he wonders what the doctor wants to know.

"Did you only have the one mate before now?" Dr. Bailey had been Lucille's doctor, so she knows that Negan had claimed her before her untimely death.

"Only Lucille."

"How many omegas have you had sex with?"

He flicks his gaze over to Chuck, but she's looking down at the floor. She knows she shouldn't really have any feelings about Negan's past, since she wasn't in his life yet, but there is a little bit of jealousy there.

He runs his hand down his face. "Two. The one was years before Lucille."

"You knotted both?"

"No. Only Lucille."

So, no claim on the first one?"

"No. Definitely not. I was fuckin' twenty-one and she was this cougar widow I met in a bar. Literally only saw her the one time. Don't even remember her name."

"Okay." Dr. Bailey types on, recording his answers. "I know Chuck has had experiences where she thought maybe she was... let's say, _reacting_ to your strong emotions, physically," she directs at Negan. "Have you experienced something similar?"

He thinks for a moment. "I don't fuckin' know. I mean... I hate when she's upset."

"You don't have any any other feelings when she's emotional? Like you're experiencing her emotions?"

He thinks again back to when Chuck first learned about her uncle's death. It seemed like he _did_ feel something more than just regular empathy for her.

"Maybe," he finally concedes. "I might've felt more than fuckin' normal when her uncle died. Like I lost someone, too."

Chuck turns to look at Negan upon hearing that revelation. She hadn't thought that she might affect him that way.

"That is really remarkable," Dr. Bailey comments. "Did you feel anything similar with your first mate?"

He pauses and thinks hard. As much as he loved Lucille, he can't think of a single time where he was effected by her emotions like he was with Chuck. "No," he answers simply.

Chuck isn't really sure what to make of that. But she doesn't get the chance to dwell on it because Dr. Bailey moves on.

"I'd like to get your permission to bring other doctors in on this. One specializing in alphas. Probably a neurologist and an endocrinologist. Maybe even a psychologist."

"Fuck, Doc." Negan lets out a huff. "We gonna have to meet with all these goddamn doctors?"

"Probably not. I'd mainly just show them your test results. But they may want to meet with you in person occasionally."

Neither Chuck or Negan are really excited about the prospect and it shows.

"This is all voluntary on your part," Dr. Bailey stresses. "Though what we may learn from you-"

"Yeah, yeah, Doc," he interrupts. "We fuckin' get it. Scientific discoveries, blah blah blah."

Chuck giggles at him. "Is there really not that much research into this?" she asks the doctor.

"Not really. It's just generally accepted that alphas and omegas mate without much thought into _why_. But in the last five years or so, there has been a push in the scientific community to look into this area of study."

After the appointment is done, Chuck and Negan walk back to his car at the far end of the parking lot.

"So," Negan starts, "do you have any fuckin' plans for Saturday?"

Chuck turns to look up at Negan beside her. "I don't think so."

"Want to do something with me?"

"Like what?"

He starts to smirk. "It's a surprise."

She giggles. "A surprise?"

"Yup. But I promise you'll have fuckin' fun."

"Okay. But I'm trusting that you don't want me to rob a bank or something."

He laughs. "Nah. Bank robbing is more of a third date kinda activity," he jokes.

When Saturday rolls around, Chuck is still in the dark as to what they're going to do. All she knows is that Negan told her to dress comfortably and that's it. So she dresses in some jeans and a Supernatural T-shirt and heads out to Negan's car with a hoodie draped over her arm in case it gets cold. When she meets up with Negan, she sees that he's dressed in a crisp white T-shirt and jeans, as well.

Negan drives them out of the city and into the suburbs, all the while not giving up where they're actually going. When he pulls into a high school parking lot, Chuck is thoroughly confused.

"We're here," he says nonchalantly after he parks.

"This is a school."

"Yup."

"Why are we at a school?"

"Come on." He gets out of the car and Chuck follows suit.

They go around the back of the building and onto a baseball field, where someone is waiting for them by a pitching machine.

"Hey, Coach!" the beta male calls out with a wave. He looks to be in his late thirties and is dressed in jeans and an off white polo shirt.

"Just 'Negan', now," Negan responds and shakes the man's hand. "This is Chuck." He gestures back to her.

"Nice to meet you," the man shakes her hand, too. "I'm Terry."

"Hello." She smiles at the man.

Terry turns back to Negan. "Got everything all set up for you guys. Just don't break anything."

Negan places his hand on his chest. "Would I ever?"

Terry laughs. "Well, have fun." He claps Negan on the shoulder and leaves.

When he's gone, Chuck speaks up. "'Coach'?"

He chuckles a little, but it has an air of nervousness. "I used to fuckin' teach here. Gym. And I coached baseball."

"Oh!" Chuck exclaims in shock. That is news to her. "You didn't like it?" she asks, wondering why he changed careers.

"I loved it, actually. But shit changed after Lucille..." he trails off.

"Oh. I understand."

He clears his throat. "Grab one of those fuckin' bats and stand on the plate."

As he fiddles with the pitching machine, Chuck follows his instructions. Maybe a bit too closely.

When he finally looks up at her, he can't help but laugh. She's standing square on home plate facing him, awkwardly holding the bat loosely in her right hand.

"What?" she calls out at his reaction.

He shakes his head as he chuckles a few more times. "Have you ever played baseball before?"

"No."

"Alright." He walks back over to her. "You're a rightie, right?"

"Yeah."

"Face that way." He points to her right then gets behind her when she complies. "Move back a couple steps."

She takes two steps back and bumps right into him. "Oops. Sorry."

He puts his hands on her hips. "No. This is right where I want you." He places his foot between hers to nudge them apart then moves his hands from her hips to position her shoulders. "Bring the bat up."

She obeys and holds the bat like she's seen other people do, hoping that she's not doing it too horribly.

Negan leans over her, his chest flush against her back, and places his hands above and below hers on the bat. "Don't tense." He moves the bat all around, like he's loosening Chuck up. "When the ball comes..." He swings the bat gently and makes a knocking noise with his tongue. "Just like that."

"Okay," she replies nervously.

Negan pats her hip as he backs away, then walks over to the pitching machine. "Ready, sweetheart?" he calls out.

"Uh... yeah." She had never been very athletic. As a matter of fact, her only exposure to sports was in her own high school gym class. And she ended up having to do extra credit reports so she wouldn't fail because she was so bad at everything. She just isn't naturally blessed with the coordination for sports.

"I'm gonna start it nice and fuckin' easy." He turns the machine on and a ball comes flying out.

Chuck lets out a little yip and jumps backward, even though the ball wasn't really that close to her. Nor was it traveling that fast, really.

Negan chuckles at her reaction. "It's okay, baby girl. Don't be afraid of it."

"I'm not good at this, Negan."

"You didn't even try, yet. I'm gonna send another one. Just swing at it."

When the ball flies over the plate, Chuck does swing, but misses.

She lets out a groan. "See? I told you I'm not good."

"Just try a few more times."

Another pitch, another miss. Then another. And Chuck's frustration grows quickly.

"Negan... Why are we doing this?"

"I told you I'd take you to a fuckin' baseball game, but it's not baseball season, yet. So..." He gestures broadly to what they're doing. "So stop bellyaching." His tone isn't angry, but rather teasing and it brings a smile to Chuck's face.

"I'm just horrible at this."

He sets the machine to automatically pitch and walks over to her. "You just never had the right fuckin' coach."

He gets into position behind her again and rolls the bat around playfully as he wiggles his hips, waiting for the ball to come. When it does, he swings the bat, sending the ball down the first base line.

"We hit it!" Chuck exclaims excitedly.

After hitting a few more, Negan backs away. "Hit this next one on your own."

"Oh, god. I'll try." She really wants to hit this one, not only so she won't feel like a failure (like she always did in high school), but she wants to do it for Negan, too.

When the machine releases the ball, Chuck swings the bat as hard as she can, trying to do it like Negan was. With a resounding crack, the ball flies over the pitcher's mound to land next to second base.

"I hit it!" she yells as she thrusts her arms out in celebration. She flips around to face Negan. "I did it!"

He laughs at her enthusiasm. "You sure did." He scoops her up in his arms, lifting her from the ground.

"Negan!" she squeals with a giggle as he twirls her around.

Negan holds her close and doesn't let her down. "You're the next Babe Ruth, sweetheart."

Chuck laughs. "Don't oversell it."

"Okay, maybe not Babe Ruth. But you look cute as shit. And that's something." He sets her back on the ground. "Can I show off for you, now?"

She giggles. "Go ahead."

Even though he hasn't been on a baseball diamond in many years, he'd still get to the batting cages almost every week. So as the pitching machine does its thing, he sends the balls flying one by one deep into the outfield. When Negan hits the last one, Chuck applauds.

"You impressed by my manly show of athleticism?" Negan asks in a joking way.

"Super impressed." Chuck giggles. "That's really why you wanted to do this, huh? To show off."

"Damn right." He tosses the bat away and pulls her into another hug. "I'm still gonna take you to a baseball game, though."

"So I can be impressed by the _players'_ manly athleticism?"

"Fuck no! You can be impressed by my ability to get good tickets and drink $20 beer."

Chuck laughs. "Is that so?"

He nods. "Hey, there's this little fuckin' burger place nearby. You wanna eat lunch?"

"Yeah. I'm getting hungry."

They go to the cute little burger shop and eat their lunch, then stop by an ice cream stand for dessert. Both with ice cream cones in hand, they walk around the little town lazily.

"It's nice here," Chuck comments as they wander through the neighborhood.

"Yeah. If you like the fuckin' 'burbs."

"You don't?"

He shrugs. "It's just different, I guess."

Chuck lets out an excited gasp when she notices that one house is nicely decked out for Halloween already. "Halloween is my favorite! I'm so excited!"

He chuckles at her enthusiasm. "Halloween is your favorite?"

"Yeah. I love Halloween. Me and my mom dress up every year and hand out candy at her house. We actually have her house all decorated already. First of October, everything gets spoooooky." She wiggles her fingers and warbles the last word for emphasis.

He laughs. "I would definitely like to see you in a costume."

His implication goes over her head, since he's thinking about skimpy costumes while she considers scary ones the norm.

"I'm dressing like the Pint-Sized Slasher," she explains excitedly.

"I have no idea what that is."

Chuck pulls out her phone and finds a picture to show Negan. "It's from Fallout 3."

The picture looks like a kid in a clown mask to Negan, which is disappointing. He was hoping to see Chuck in something a _little_ more sexy than that.

"Looks weird," he finally comments.

"I'm doing it all in black and white, too and I made the mask myself," she beams. Making her own costume has always been a source of pride for her. Mainly because the kids always seem to like it. "I always try to dress scary. But my mom usually dresses like a not scary witch for the really little kids so we don't scare them too much."

Negan takes his first crunchy bite into his ice cream cone. "I haven't handed out candy in years."

"Oh!" she calls out suddenly. "Hand out candy at my mom's house with us. She always gets a ton of kids." She figures that the reason he didn't participate in trick or treat is because kids don't go into their building on Halloween. Which _is_ true. But for Negan, it's also part of that life he left behind when Lucille died.

He used to really enjoy handing out candy. Him and Lucille both. He used to love watching Lucille's face light up as she saw the children all dressed up. After she died, he didn't have the interest to participate in trick or treat anymore.

He gives her offer a thought, though. "Sure. Why not?"

"Yay! I'm excited!"

With their ice cream cones all gone, they head back to Chuck's apartment. Negan casually plops himself down on her couch as she grabs a drink in the kitchen. Her laptop is open right beside him, though it's in standby mode. To give himself more room, he picks it up to set it to the side, hitting one of the buttons in the process and turning it on. Instantly, Negan is met with the homepage of the porn website Chuck had left open.

"Shit," he says aloud as his eyes scan the various pictures of naked women and descriptions of what each video is.

Chuck looks over to him and sees what's happening. "Oh my god!" She rushes over and rips her laptop out of his hands. "I-I can explain. I was just- It- I wasn't-" her heart pounds as all the blood rushes to her face. "Oh my god. I'm just going to go kill myself now."

He laughs at her reaction. "You don't have to be embarrassed, sweetheart. Fuckin' everyone watches porn."

"I'm sorry." Her embarrassment is quickly making her upset.

He sees this and gestures to the seat beside him. "Come here, sweetheart."

She sets the laptop down and takes the seat. "It's not what you think. I wasn't... you know... doing anything to myself."

He's a little confused by her reaction. "Honey, I really don't care if you were taking a little 'me time'. Everyone gets themselves off. I don't give a shit about that. If it makes you feel any better, I rubbed one out before we left this morning."

She looks at him and sees he's completely comfortable with the subject. It actually eases a little of her embarrassment. "Really?"

"Yeah. So don't be ashamed that you get yourself off. As a matter of fact, I'd be very fuckin' interested in hearing about it."

She laughs at him. "That's- I guess that's good to know." She giggles again. "But... I really wasn't... I was just trying to learn. Since I've never... you know. I'm a-a... virgin."

"I see." He scrubs his hand down his beard. "You can talk to me about it. Since we're planning on engaging in that particular fuckin' activity at some point, I think it's pretty goddamn logical for you to be open with me about it."

"Yeah." She looks away. "I guess you're right. I was just embarrassed. And I didn't want to be bad for you. For our first time."

"Don't fuckin' worry about me, baby girl. As long as you're into it, it's gonna be fuckin' amazing for me."

She just nods, unsure if he's really telling the truth or not.

Negan sees the uncertainty on her face. "I want you to be fuckin' comfortable with me, Chuck. And you gotta be comfortable with this." He gestures between them.

Chuck nods.

"You gotta be comfortable with _yourself_."

She looks at him, not really knowing what he means.

"Have you ever made yourself cum before?" he asks, already figuring that he knows the answer.

She shakes her head.

"Have you ever _tried_?"

"No."

"Well." He lets out a sigh. "I think you need to take that step before _we_ can take that step."

"Right." She nods slowly. "Okay."

"Do you know how?"

"Uh... well. Sorta... I guess. I mean, I watched videos."

"So you know you gotta rub your clit."

She shrugs a shoulder. "Yeah."

He chuckles a little at the situation. He's never had to tell a woman how to get off, before. Especially since the women he usually sleeps with are of the more adventurous variety. Lucille was probably the least experienced of all the women he's had, but she wasn't a _virgin_.

When she hears him laugh, she looks away in shame. "This is really weird, right? I'm sorry."

"Hey." He puts his fingers around her chin to move her face back to his. "We got a unique fuckin' situation here. But that doesn't mean you gotta feel _bad_ about it. Okay, baby girl?"

She nods, though she's not quite sure if she believes him.

"Just... talk it out with me," he says gently.

She clears her throat. "I just feel really weird. You know, not normal. Like, there's this whole world that I've not been living in. With my condition and all, I just accepted that I would _never_ live there with everyone else. But now..." She shrugs. "Now, I'm just ashamed that I haven't experienced all the things everyone else has."

"No need to be ashamed. Like you fuckin' said, you had a condition that you didn't fuckin' ask for. There was nothing you coulda done about it. _So what_ if you're a little bit of a late bloomer. Cuz you can sure make up the time now."

She laughs. His words actually make her feel better. "You're just saying that to get in my pants," she jokes.

Negan takes it seriously, though. "No, baby girl. Do I want in your pants? Shit yes. Would I try and talk you into it when you're not ready? _Fuck no_. I'll try my hardest to get you ready. Help with all that self conscious repression you got going on so you can make your own decision. But I would _never_ try to _convince_ you. I just need you to be okay with all of this before we actually get our fuck on."

She giggles at his turn of phrase. "Can I ask you something, then?"

"Go ahead."

She clears her throat. "You said you... uh... rubbed one out this morning."

"Yes," he drags out with a smirk.

"Is that normal? For you, I mean. Do you do that everyday?"

He shrugs. "Well... Alphas have a high sex drive, so yeah. Pretty much. Especially now that I haven't fucked anyone in a while."

"Oh." She realizes that his dry spell is because he hasn't had sex with anyone since they decided to be together. It makes her smile knowing that he's taking his fidelity seriously.

As he stares at her, waiting for her to say something further, her own thoughts drift from his faithfulness to what he must look like when he pleasures himself. It causes a heat to burn all over her body and her cheeks to redden even more than they already were.

Negan notices the change in her expression and immediately recognizes the look of arousal. It sends his own body buzzing at the possibilities of what might happen.

"Do you want to watch me?" he asks before he has time to really think about it.

"Watch you?"

"Jerk off."

"Oh!" she almost squeaks. Her first thought is to say absolutely not, but then again, she finds herself wanting nothing more than to watch him. "Is that... weird? If I did?"

"No. It's not fuckin' weird. And you shouldn't worry if someone else finds something fuckin' weird. Just do what you want," he tells her as he looks right into her eyes. "Within reason, I guess. As long as all parties involved are fuckin' consenting."

"Okay."

"It's up to you, sweetheart. It's your choice."

She lets out a breath. He's right that she needs to be comfortable with him and she knows the only way to achieve that for her is to jump right in before she can talk herself out of it. But he's also right that she needs to be more comfortable with herself, too.

"I want to watch you. But... I want to do it, too."

He raises his eyebrows. "You want to jerk me off?"

She giggles. "No. I mean, well... I was thinking I'd... you know... touch myself. While you touch yourself."

Negan can't help but smile at the thought. "Alright, baby girl. If that's what you want."

They move into Chuck's bedroom, but she's not sure where to start. Negan really isn't either. This isn't exactly like any other sexual encounter he's had before. But he knows he has to let her do her own thing. If he pushes her too far too fast, she might regret it. And that might make her regret being with him.

"Should we take our clothes off?" she asks so sweetly that Negan chuckles.

"I'm okay with that."

She bites her lip in nervousness. She's never been naked in front of anyone, save her doctors before. And _that_ always made her so anxious that she couldn't sleep for a few days before her appointments. Now, she's planning on being naked in front of Negan, who will also be naked.

"Will you do it first?" she finally responds.

"Do you want me to do a little dance for you?" he jokes, calming some of her nerves.

She giggles at him then shrugs a shoulder. "Sure."

He laughs, not really considering dancing, then starts to remove his clothes unceremoniously. When he's fully naked, he just stands there, allowing Chuck to make the first move.

She had seen Negan naked before, albeit, for only a second. But now, he's standing there waiting for her to take the sight all in. It takes her a moment to settle before she allows her eyes to even travel below his waist. And when she does, she lets out a soft gasp.

He's big, long and thick. Especially since he's mostly hard already. And like most alphas, especially ones born before the nineties, he's cut. He has an ample amount of curly black hair leading up from his groin to fade out below his belly button. The sight of him sends a tingling heat straight to her core.

He notices her reaction. "Everything okay there, sweetheart?" he teases.

She swallows roughly. "Mmhmm."

"You don't have to go through with this," he reminds her, since she hasn't made a move to take off her own clothes yet. "You can just fuckin' watch me and that's it."

"No," she answers quickly. "I wanna do this. But... can I ask you something?"

He chuckles at her repeated question. "You can ask me anything."

"Have you ever... been with someone that looks like me? You know, bigger."

"Honey..." he coos. "You're not big. You're a fuckin' _omega_. And you have no fuckin' idea what your curves do to me."

Though there is some variation, of course, most betas are slim and straighter shaped. Since betas make up the majority of the population, beauty standards adhere to that ideal. Omegas, however, have more of an hourglass shape, with larger breasts an hips. Since Negan has only ever brought betas home, and with societies influence, too, Chuck figures that Negan is only attracted to thin, slender women. But she's wrong.

"Really?" she asks quietly.

"You and that body of yours have been the star of _a lot_ of my fantasies, sweetheart."

She giggles, actually feeling a little less anxiety about being naked in front of him now. So before she can back out of it, she rips her shirt off. But as she's unbuttoning her jeans, she pauses and looks up at Negan.

"I-I have stretch marks," she warns him. As her hips expanded, some light stretch marks spread across them. Though in actuality, they aren't as noticeable as Chuck thinks.

"Honestly, I don't care one fuckin' bit about that."

"And I..." she continues. "I mean, I don't know what you like, you know, hair-wise. I'm not... _waxed_ or anything. I shaved my legs last night, but I have hair, you know, elsewhere."

He chuckles. "Honey, I _really_ don't care about any of that. Stop telling yourself you have all this shit wrong with you so I can fuckin' _show_ you that you're fine the way you are."

She nods then proceeds to remove the rest of her clothes, leaving her completely bare. When she finally looks up at Negan, his eyes are roving her entire body.

He takes it all in. Her whole body is covered in alabaster skin, with only her shoulders and arms dotted with random freckles. She has a nickel sized birthmark a few shades darker than the rest of her skin on her left breast under her small pink nipple. Her breasts are full, but perky, much like many other omegas. Her waist is soft, but mostly flat, leading down to her ample hips, which are rounded perfectly, as far as Negan is concerned. With what Chuck had said, he thought she would have unkempt pubic hair, but that's not the case. Her soft red curls are neatly trimmed, with her bikini line completely bare.

"Fuck," he breathes out. "You're fuckin' perfect."

She bites her lip at the high compliment. Her first thought is not to believe him, but the look on his face and the way his body is reacting to her tell her that he's not lying.

Negan feels his whole body get hotter as he commits every detail of her body to memory. He's so taken with her that he has to hold himself back from rushing over and burying himself inside her instantly.

"Are you still good with this?" he finally asks, hoping to god that she says yes.

"Yeah. Are you?"

"I think you can see just how good with this I am."

She giggles because there is no missing his very prominent erection.

Negan turns away from her to sit on the bed. He positions the pillows behind him so he can lean back on the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him, widely parted.

"Are you gonna watch from there?" he asks, pulling Chuck out of her stupor as she stands away from the bed. "You can hop up here." He pats the bed beside him.

"Oh. Okay." She gets on the bed and sits on her knees between his legs with her hands in her lap.

Negan wasn't expecting her to choose to be front and center, but he's certainly not complaining. He brings his hand up and wraps it around his shaft, stroking it a few times.

Chuck notices that with each stroke, he swirls his hand over the tip, figuring that that's how he likes it. She files that knowledge away for when the occasion comes that she'll be the one giving him pleasure.

As his breaths get heavier, so do Chuck's. She's focused on his hand, noting every movement and how he seems to react to it. When he starts to buck his hips slightly, a little grunt leaves his lips. Chuck's eyes snap up to his face and she sees his own gaze is on her breasts.

He watches as her chest rises and falls with her increasingly deeper breaths. All he wants to do is reach out and feel just how soft her perfect tits are, but he holds back, clenching his unoccupied fist with the effort. She hadn't told him she was okay with him touching her, so he won't do it. As long as he can fight the urge to, anyway.

The look of pleasure on his face affects Chuck in a way she's not entirely familiar with. She has this uncomfortable pressure between her legs that she has the urge to alleviate. She's not an idiot; she knows she's aroused. A lot, actually. But she doesn't want to tear her attention away from what Negan is doing to do anything about it. Her body works for her, though, clenching her thighs rhythmically, seeking relief.

Negan knows what she's doing. And he can smell the slick starting to slowly leak from between her legs. It all hastens him to his climax.

"Oh, fuck," he groans as he strokes faster.

When she sees the muscles his thighs ripple with tension, she lays both her hands just above his knees without thinking, like her body is moving on its own. She pushes her hands up his thighs and then back down to his knees, just feeling his hot skin under her fingers as he bucks into his hand.

"Fuck, baby. Can I cum on your tits?" he asks breathlessly.

"Yes," is her immediate answer. He could've asked her anything right then and she would've agreed. She starts to trail her hands up his chest and down his arms, though she's not confident enough to actually help him reach his end.

Negan's resolve finally breaks and he reaches his hand out to squeeze her breast. As soon as he does, his climax hits him, sending ropes of his cum on her chest and over his own hand.

His growls and moans send heat and electricity through her, straight to her core. She had seen a lot of porn where women get ejaculated on and didn't really see the appeal, but what Negan just did to her was the most erotic thing she could imagine ever happening. To date, anyway.

"Oh fuck," he drawls out and lays his head back on her headboard with his eyes closed once his orgasm has passed. "Goddamn." He stays in that position, breathing heavily as he comes down from his high.

Overcome with lust and without a thought (at least from her upstairs brain), Chuck pulls her legs out from underneath her and spreads them over Negan's still spread thighs. She lays back fully on the bed and brings her hand to her mound. Her first unskilled touches send pleasure through her, since Negan's show had gotten her so turned on already. But her clumsy fingers aren't deft enough to get her where she wants to be.

Negan's mind is blank after his orgasm as he continues to sit there with his eyes closed. Just being near Chuck made him cum harder than if it was just him alone. This post orgasmic stupor has him completely unaware of what Chuck is doing right in front of him.

Until she calls out for him.

Her frustration in her own lack of ability hits a head as she can't bring herself to climax. "Help me, Negan," she calls out breathlessly.

His eyes snap to her instantly as he takes in the image of her spread out before him. At this instant, he's glad he went first. He isn't sure if he would have been able to hold himself back from pounding in to her if he was still hard. And with his lust sated at the moment, he's able to think the situation over a little more clearly.

"Fuck," he breathes. "Can I touch you?" He should've asked this question earlier, but at least he's doing it now.

"Yes!" she calls out in frustration as she continues to move her fingers like she's seen women do on the internet. It's just that she isn't getting the desired effect.

Negan runs his hands up her legs, trying to commit the feel of her skin to memory. When he gets to the apex of her thighs, he puts his hand over hers to guide her her fingers where he thinks they should go. By gliding over her folds slowly and watching her face intently to see what gets a reaction and what doesn't, he starts to build her up.

"Keep doing that," he instructs in a deep voice and lifts his hand away from her own. Even though he wants to be the one to make her cum, he knows that she needs to be familiar with her own body first.

She takes his instruction and soon finds the right pace on her own, swirling her fingers over her clit. She can't help the moans now coming out of her mouth as she arches her back and thrusts her hips into her hand.

Negan can't get enough of the sight before him. His eyes alternate between watching her wet pussy to staring at the way her breasts bounce with the movement of her arm.

"You look so fuckin' good like this." He continues to move his hands all over her, up her legs to squeeze her hips, then back down her inner thighs, repeating the action over and over. Then he ventures further north, lightly squeezing her breasts and brushing his fingers over her nipples.

"Oh, god!" she calls out as the pressure builds more and more.

"You're gonna cum," Negan says almost in astonishment. His eyes scan every bit of her. Her furrowed brow and parted lips. Her arched back and bucking hips. He's suddenly painfully hard again and can't stop himself from furiously stroking himself, trying to reach his end again.

"Ah!" She continues to swirl her fingers just right. "Oh!" Her breaths come heavier until she almost stops breathing. She ceases to move as tension builds in all of her muscles. Then it snaps sending pleasure through her in waves as a long moan escapes her lips.

As she writhes and moans through her orgasm, he spills onto her again.

"Fuck," he groans then moves to lay down beside her. "Fuck, baby girl," he says breathlessly.

"Mmhmm," is all she manages to say as she tries to catch her own breath.

"You okay, sweetheart?" he asks after a moment.

"Yeah," she answers with a smile. "That was... wow."

He chuckles. "You enjoyed yourself?"

"Definitely. Did _you_ enjoy yourself?"

"I think that's pretty fuckin' evident." He runs a finger over the mess he made on her torso. "Let me clean you up." He jumps off the bed and retrieves a wet washcloth from the bathroom. As he gently wipes her skin, he can't help but look her over in adoration. "You're beautiful," he whispers almost to himself.

She hears his words and looks up at him. He's not saying it out of lust and that throws her for a loop.

"No one's ever said that to me," she responds quietly. "Except my mom," she adds with a giggle.

He tosses the washcloth aside and leans down to kiss her sweetly. "Well, I'm saying it now."

She smiles up at him as she smooths her hand over his cheek. "I think you're beautiful, too. But I'm sure you've heard that a million times."

He shakes his head with a chuckle. "No one's ever called me _beautiful_ before."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I've been called a lotta things, beautiful ain't one of them." He kisses her again. "But I kinda like it."

A couple days later, Chuck has to go back into the office for her monthly meeting. It's going to be her first time there since the whole Eldritch situation. She really doesn't want to see him, but she's hoping that being with a bunch of people will mean that he won't do anything.

Negan tried to get her to stay home, but she really couldn't. She agreed to keep in touch with Negan during the day, just to allay his fears.

Chuck walks into the meeting room and waits for Eldritch to enter. When he does, she keeps her head down, not lifting her gaze to him once during the whole time he speaks. He, of course, notices, but can't do anything about it while they're in the meeting.

After the meeting, Chuck rushes to a work station to get started. She only has a few hours to kill before she can leave, so she hopes she can avoid Eldritch until then.

She sends Negan a text. _Meeting went ok. I'm at a computer now starting to work._

 _He didn't talk to you_ he responds.

His iPhone is doing a better job at autocorrecting than his last one. At least a little bit. Despite the lack of punctuation, she figures what he said is a question. _No. I'm hoping to avoid him now._

 _What floor are you on. I'll John McClain it in and rescue you_

She laughs out loud softly. _Like crawl through the ducts?_

 _Yep_

 _I'm not sure if this building has man sized vents._

 _I'll make it work_

She puts her phone down and starts typing on her computer, completely unaware of the eyes on her.

As Eldritch walks toward Chuck with his memorized speech playing around in his head, he sees her looking at her phone. And then she giggles. It sends a wave of rage through him because he figures she's talking to Negan. _Negan_ is making her laugh. _Negan_ is making her smile. _Negan_ has a blush going across her cheeks. He hates it. It should be _him_.

Before he can reach her, someone intercepts him, requesting his presence on the other side of the building. Reluctantly, he abandons his plan to talk to Chuck to do his job, figuring he'd catch her later. But he doesn't get the chance. He's delayed in getting back and when he does, she's gone.

"Thanks for coming," Chuck comments from the passenger's seat of Negan's car. They're headed to Diane's to celebrate Chuck's birthday.

"Of course," Negan responds. "I wouldn't miss it."

"My mom always has to celebrate birthdays. She makes a big deal about it. I never cared that much."

"I used to party fuckin' hard on my birthday. But then I got fuckin' old."

She giggles. "When _is_ your birthday?"

"April 7."

"I didn't miss it then."

They pull up and head into the house. Negan greets both Diane and Aaron, then they eat dinner in the dining room. After that, they head into the living room where Chuck sits down at the piano. Aaron and Diane both grab their guitars and they start to sing. This is a little family tradition for holidays and birthdays. Songs would always be sung between dinner and dessert.

Negan just sits back watching the trio. They're all very good, their voices harmonizing together perfectly. He has to admit that there's something sexy about how Chuck's fingers glide over the keys and they way her face looks as she sings.

"You have any requests, Negan?" Diane asks.

"Whatever you're playing is fine by me."

Aaron looks to Negan. "Do you play?"

"Nah." Negan scratches at his cheek. "Learned maybe a couple of chords on the guitar in college. That's the extent of my musical fuckin' ability."

"You could sing," Chuck offers.

He chuckles. "I'd only ruin it."

"We could use a deeper voice here," Diane comments.

"Let me practice a little bit and I'll get back to you," Negan jokes.

Diane nods at him. "I'll hold you to that."

"Shouldn't we be doing presents anyway?" Negan changes the subject.

"Alright," Diane concedes.

Before they get to that, Aaron turns to Chuck. "Could I ask you a favor?"

"Yeah, sure," Chuck responds.

"I decided to take a trip to some of Eric's favorite places and write an article about it as a memorial to him. But since I got this all ready last minute, our usual dog sitter isn't available. Will you be able to watch Mozart for a week?"

"Yeah. I can do that. I love hanging out with your puppy. When is it?"

"Beginning of November."

"Of course I'll do it, Uncle Aaron."

Chuck takes her seat on the couch between Negan and Aaron. Diane sits on an arm chair beside them with two presents sitting on the coffee table.

"I'll do the big one first," Chuck comments and picks up the box.

"That's from me," Diane comments.

Chuck rips the paper off and opens the box, pulling out a violin after. "You got me a violin?" Chuck asks with a smile.

Diane smiles back. "I know you never played one, so I thought you could teach yourself. There's a book in the box, too, to help you out. It's not exactly a Stradivarius, but it'll be good to learn on."

"Wow! Thanks, Mom. I love it! Negan might not when he hears me trying to learn on it," Chuck jokes.

"I bet you have that shit mastered in no time," Negan responds.

Chuck moves to the next box and opens it. It contains five T-shirts, all nerdy in subject.

"I hope those fit you," Aaron comments. "I got you the same size as last year without thinking about how you've changed. I kept the receipts if they don't."

"I bet it'll be fine. T-shirts are stretchy. Thanks, Uncle Aaron. I can always use more geeky shirts."

Negan clears his throat and reaches into the inner pocket of his jacket, producing a black jewelry box. "I'm shit at wrapping so I didn't wrap it."

"Oh." Chuck is a little shocked that he actually got her a gift. "It's okay that it's not wrapped." She takes the box from him and opens the lid. Sitting on the fancy cushion is a silver bangle with engraved writing in it. "Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars," she reads aloud then looks up at Negan.

"I saw that line highlighted in your Lord of the Rings book," Negan explains. "I know a jeweler and asked him to put it on a bracelet for you."

Chuck looks down at it, running her finger over the delicate script as her eyes well up with tears. "That was my dad's favorite line. He's the one that highlighted it." She looks back up at Negan and instantly throws her arms around him in a hug. "I love it," she whispers in his ear.

He brings her in tighter. "Happy birthday, baby girl," he whispers back.

"Who's ready for cake?" Diane interrupts their moment intentionally. Just because she's okay with her daughter and Negan being together, doesn't mean that she wants to see it.

After the party as Chuck and Negan drive home, she can't help but stare at the bracelet on her wrist. She had never been very into jewelry, but this is so perfect. She never thought that Negan could be so thoughtful.

Negan sneaks glances at her and notices that she keeps looking at the present he had given her. It fills him with pride knowing that he knocked this first gift out of the park. Chuckling a little at himself, he gently grabs ahold of her hand and brings it to his lips, kissing it softly.

She looks over to him, wondering how she got to this point. When she first saw Negan, she thought he was the most handsome man that ever existed. Then after living next to him for a little bit, she actually disliked him, thinking that there was nothing more to him than a cocky, womanizing alpha that only cared about himself.

But here he is, spending the day with her. He had thought up the most perfect gift and had someone make it for her. He's been so patient and caring about her, more so than she would've thought _anyone_ would be with her. It brings a smile to her face and she comes to a decision.

 _I'm gonna have sex with Negan tonight._


	12. Part 12

_Oh my god. I'm gonna have sex with Negan tonight._

The thought has Chuck's heart rate spiking with anticipation. She feels that it's the right time to do it. After all, he's shown her that he cares about her. Especially today, with the gift he got her for her birthday. And she cares about him, too. In a way that's different from anyone else in her life. So she knows that sleeping with Negan is what she wants to do.

Doesn't make her any less anxious about it.

Negan feels the change in the air as they drive back to their apartment building from Diane's house. He turns his head to look at Chuck, seeing that she's rubbing her hands over her thighs like she's nervous.

"You okay, sweetheart?" he asks.

"Mmhmm," she answers quickly. "I'm good."

He smirks at her obvious lie. "You sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

He peeks at her again. "You look like you're pissing your pants."

She tries to laugh it off, but it comes out too loud and awkward. "No! I'm fine."

"What's going on, Chuck?"

She takes a deep breath and clears her throat. "N-Nothing."

" _Chuck._ "

"Do you want to have sex with me tonight?" she blurts out.

He's taken aback for a moment. "Are you offering?" He would like nothing more than to sink his knot into Chuck tonight. As a matter of fact, a good portion of his blood is currently rushing south right now just at the thought.

"Um. Yeah...?"

"You don't sound so confident in that." As much as he would love to finally fuck Chuck, he wants to make sure she is really ready to do so.

She looks away from him. "I want to... do it. With everything... how we've been together and all... It's just... I want to move forward with you."

"As long as you're _really sure_ , it's gonna be an emphatic 'yes' from me."

She can't help but giggle at his answer. "Okay. So... tonight's the night." She pats her palms on her legs, still trying to get her nerves out.

Negan notices and sets his hand on top of hers. "I want you to trust me, baby girl. Okay?"

"I know you wouldn't hurt me," she responds immediately.

He shakes his head. "No. I want you to _trust me_ enough to be fully fuckin' honest with me. If you wanna stop, at _any_ given fuckin' moment, I want you to tell me. And I want you to trust that I'll stop."

"Okay. I trust you," she replies, though she's not completely sure why he's insisting upon it.

When they get back up to their floor, they pause in the hallway for a moment.

He looks down at her with raised eyebrows. "So?"

She blinks a few times, steeling her nerves. "Would you like to come in?"

He smirks at her. "I would love to."

Chuck unlocks her door and the pair walk in. As Chuck throws her purse and keys on the counter, Negan walks further into the room. He knows Chuck is nervous; he can almost feel it. And as much as he wants to go at her pace, time is becoming a factor.

Her last heat was just a month ago, so they should be good for at least another month. Hopefully. Ideally, they would be having sex regularly before her next heat comes. Because the very last thing he wants is to have her first sexual experience to be when she's in heat. He wants her to be fully aware of what's happening and in control of herself for her first time.

And, of course, he wants her to get a hint of what to expect with him. He wants her to see him when _he's_ in control of himself first. Considering that it's almost a certainty that he will go into rut when she goes into heat, he'll be closer to feral than she's ever really seen. He has confidence in himself that he won't hurt her, but that doesn't mean that it won't get intense.

Chuck is unsure how to proceed. "Do you want something to drink?" she asks Negan.

He walks over to her. "Don't be nervous." He tucks some of her hair behind her ear.

She lets out a sigh at the contact. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." He kisses her sweetly. "I know this is a big fuckin' thing for you. I just want you to be sure."

"I'm sure, Negan." She kisses him back and it soon turns heated.

When they come up for air, Negan rests his forehead on hers. "Fuck," he sighs.

"What is it?"

He chuckles. "I'm fuckin' excited."

"Oh." She giggles. "I am, too." That's not a lie, but there's certainly a large undercurrent of anxiety going through her as well.

Negan takes her hand and leads her into her bedroom.

"I'll grab the, uh... condoms from my bathroom." When she gets to her medicine cabinet, she takes a quick look at herself in the mirror. "This is really happening," she whispers to herself.

When she comes back out with the pink box in her hand, Negan starts to chuckle.

"What?" she asks.

"Usually people keep those things in the nightstand."

"Oh." She looks down at the box. "I guess... Yeah, that makes sense."

Negan walks over to her, taking the box and tossing it on the bed. "I want you to tell me you're good." He pulls up on the hem of her shirt, slowly raising it over her head until it's free from her frame.

"I'm good," she says breathlessly.

He takes her hands and guides them under his own shirt. She takes the hint and pulls the garment up and over his head, trailing her hands down his bare chest after. Their pants come off next in a similar fashion. Negan slowly pushes hers off her hips, then Chuck unbuckles his belt, allowing his pants to fall to his feet.

They stand before each other for a moment before Chuck reaches behind herself to unlatch her bra. As soon as the fabric slides down her arms, Negan's eyes are drawn to her chest.

"Fuck, you have amazing tits."

She giggles. "I'm glad you like them," she jokes.

"I fuckin' love them." He reaches his hands out to smooth them over her hips and up her ribcage, swirling his thumb over her nipples gently.

She runs her hands down his torso to push his underwear off his hips. He follows suit and helps to rid her of her own panties.

"You good?" he asks as he cradles her cheek in one hand.

"I'm good."

Negan turns down the bed and gestures for Chuck to lay down, which she does.

He gets on the bed beside her. "I'm gonna warm you up, okay?"

She nods with a bite of her lip.

"Just relax." He leans over her and starts to kiss her passionately.

She has to admit that she very much enjoys kissing Negan. Not that she has much experience with anyone else, but when they've kissed, it seems like the world fades away. She gets more into it, placing her hand on the back of his head and burying her fingers in his hair.

He moves down to her neck, placing sloppy kisses all over her throat, including over her mating spot.

"Oh," she moans at the contact with her sensitive skin.

He rubs his nose over her neck. "You smell so fuckin' good." He kisses the spot again, loving the reactions it's eliciting from Chuck.

She takes the opportunity to push her own nose into his neck and breathe deeply. Of course, she's familiar what Negan smells like, but she's never properly scented him before like this.

"You smell like warm amber and spices," she whispers into his neck.

He chuckles. "Is that good?"

"It's the best thing I've ever smelled."

He pulls back and smiles down at her. "You smell like fuckin' flowers and strawberries and cream."

She giggles. "Really?"

He kisses her. "I wanna see if you taste the same," he whispers into her lips then starts to move down her body, leaving a trail of kisses toward his destination. "Spread your legs for me, baby."

She obeys and he shifts to get between her knees. As he does, she props herself up on her elbows to watch him.

"You good?" he flicks his gaze up to ask.

She's nervous. _Really_ nervous, actually. But she doesn't want to disappoint Negan now, so she nods. "I'm good."

He smiles. "Okay." Without breaking eye contact, he starts to rub her sex with his fingers slowly, not wanting to overwhelm her just yet.

He watches as her eyebrows start to move, flitting from expression to expression, furrowed to raised and back again. When her breathing gets deeper, he bends down to lick at her core.

"Oh god," she whispers.

Without removing his tongue, he smiles at her reaction. Then he moves up to circle his tongue over her clit, eliciting a sharp gasp from her.

"Fuck, you taste so good." He starts to push one finger into her, but meets resistance. "Just relax, baby girl."

She nods and lies back, trying to relax more.

He circles his fingers around her entrance, trying to coat them in her slick before trying to push into her again. He makes it just about as far.

"You gotta relax, sweetheart. I can't even get a finger in." He rubs her clit more, trying to get her closer to an orgasm, thinking that maybe that would make this easier.

Chuck isn't really paying attention to what he's doing now; she's too far in her own head. Most of all she doesn't want to disappoint Negan, so she's putting a lot of pressure on herself. That's just making everything worse, though. The harder she tries to relax, the more tense she actually gets. Not to mention that she's starting to get upset with herself.

When Negan hears her breathing change, he recognizes that it's not in the way he wants. "You good?"

She clears her throat, trying to get rid of the lump that has taken residence there. "I'm good," she chokes out.

Negan, of course, can hear that she's lying. "Baby girl?"

"Just keep pushing."

"It'll fuckin' hurt you."

"I don't care."

He crawls over her to look at her face. "I _won't_ hurt you."

She's instantly embarrassed and throws her arm over her face to hide the tears that form in her eyes.

"Don't cry, sweetheart." He tries to pull her arm away, but she doesn't let him.

"I'm sorry," she cries out as she adds her other arm to cover more of her face.

"It's okay, Chuck. Look at me."

The only thing she wants to do right now is fall into the center of the earth. She's embarrassed and ashamed that this turned into such a monumental failure and that has her spiraling toward a panic attack.

"Chuck." He tries again to pull her arms away from her face, but she turns her whole body and curls in on herself. "Come on, baby girl. You gotta calm down."

All of the lustful thoughts evaporate as he realizes just how upset Chuck is. He had a feeling she wasn't really ready, but he pushed forward anyway. And now she's freaking out.

"Listen to me, Chuck. You're gonna fuckin' pass out if you don't stop hyperventilating."

She can't stop, though. Her panic has taken ahold and it's starting to seep into Negan.

"Chuck. You need to fucking breathe," he calls out. "Look at me."

She doesn't.

" _Look at me!_ " he finally commands in his alpha voice.

She turns her head to face him instantly.

" _Breathe with me._ " He grabs her hand and places it on his chest as he hovers above her.

As Negan's chest rises, Chuck takes a breath then lets it out when he does. It forces her to breathe more slowly, getting her heart rate back down. When she's finally mostly calm, Negan lays back down on the bed and pulls Chuck onto his chest.

"You're okay," he coos into the top of her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispers into he chest.

"It's my fuckin' fault. We went too fast."

She wipes at her face as she sniffles. "I feel bad that-"

"No," he interrupts. "You have no reason to feel fuckin' bad. Do you have issues with sex? Yeah, you do. But a big part of those issues is that you feel so fuckin' embarrassed and ashamed about it. You have _nothing_ to be ashamed about, okay, baby girl?"

She nods then snuggles closer into Negan's chest. Despite her embarrassment, being close to him does make her feel better.

"I just need to make sure you're _really_ ready," he mutters almost to himself.

The next week or so, Negan makes an effort to get Chuck to be more comfortable with him physically. That means _a lot_ of touching and cuddling. They spend almost every minute together, except for when Negan is at work. They even sleep in the same bed together, alternating whose apartment they stay at each night. Considering that they are only a hall away from home, it's not too much of an inconvenience.

There isn't exactly a lot of sexual contact, though. Just kisses, mostly. Negan just wants Chuck to be absolutely comfortable with him before they move forward.

"I'm gonna grab a shower," Chuck announces after she clears her cereal bowl from her table on a Saturday.

"Can I join?" Negan asks with a smirk.

"You just showered last night."

He walks forward and pulls her close to him. "Doesn't mean I can't help out."

She chuckles at his remark, but doesn't pull away from him. All this extra attention from Negan has gone largely unnoticed by Chuck. Not that she hasn't been enjoying it. She just hasn't really noticed that he's purposely trying to make sure she's more comfortable with him in a physical way. His plan is working, though. All the extra kisses and hugs are starting to become so commonplace that she just expects them from him.

"You know our showers aren't exactly roomy," she comments.

He just shrugs.

"If you're okay with standing naked in the shower _not_ underneath the warm water, then I'm okay with it, too."

They go into the bathroom and Chuck starts the water, dialing it in to the right temperature. With all the time they've been spending together, Chuck doesn't feel that self conscious around him. At least as self conscious as she used to, so being naked around him isn't that big of a deal.

With their clothes discarded, they step into the shower, Negan taking his position behind Chuck. As she goes through her normal shower routine, Negan makes sure to keep his hands on her, just touching her softly or running his hands down her back.

She actually enjoys it, feeling him caress her skin in that way. It's not lustful or groping, it's just... caring and nice. It pairs well with the relaxing shower. Chuck doesn't even realize just how normal being with Negan has become, which is exactly what he planned.

Later that night, they're cuddled up on the couch watching some old slasher flick.

"Are you excited for trick or treat tomorrow," Chuck asks with a wide grin on her face.

He chuckles. "This is only the twentieth fuckin' time you've mentioned Halloween today."

"Is that a 'no'?"

He pulls her closer into his side. "I'm very fuckin' excited to see you so very fuckin' excited."

"Halloween is so fun! I'm gonna get you all excited for it if it's the last thing I do." Her attention goes back to the movie as one of the side characters gets attacked by the baddie.

"Well, she's dead," Negan jokes.

"Total red shirt," she comments. When the screaming woman inevitably takes a knife to the chest, Chuck lets out a sigh. "I don't know why they never fight dirty in these movies."

"Fight dirty?"

"Yeah. Like the bad guys are always big strong alphas and the skinny beta girls that they're after have, like, a very slim chance of surviving. So why don't the girls fight dirty? Their life is on the line, but they don't go for the eyes. Or ears. Or throat. They don't even knee them in the crotch most of the time."

Negan laughs. "Because if everyone was actually smart in these movies, they'd be fuckin' boring."

"I get that," she concedes. "I just wish some of these girls wouldn't be so dumb. I mean, it can practically be considered suicide because they'd have to _want_ to die to do some of the stuff they do."

He laughs again. "You're fuckin' right about that."

The next day is Halloween and Diane is lucky enough to get it off this year. That means that she and Chuck have the whole day to make finishing touches on the decorations before trick or treat. Negan _does_ have to work, though, so he's due to stop by when he gets off.

"It's so nice out today," Diane starts as she pours bags of candy into bowls. "It's going to be perfect tonight." She takes the bowls from the counter and brings them out to set them on the coffee table in the living room.

Chuck follows her out and sits down on the couch. "We can hand out candy on the porch this year since we won't freeze."

"Negan's still coming, right?" Diane sits next to Chuck.

"Yeah. He should be here in like an hour."

"I better start supper so we can eat before the kids start coming."

As Negan pulls into Diane's driveway, he notices that the whole yard is decorated with skeletons, bats, spiders, witches, ghosts, and everything else spooky. Before he gets to the door, Chuck is opening it.

"What do you think?" she asks as she exits the house.

"It looks like you added shit since I was here for your birthday." He bends down and gives her a kiss.

"Me and Mom have been working all day. We wanted to surprise all the kids tonight with some extra stuff."

He looks around. "I'm pretty sure the kids are gonna fuckin' love this shit. It looks awesome."

Chuck's lips curl up in a smile at his praise. "I can't wait." She grabs Negan's hand and starts to lead him back in the house. "Mom's got dinner almost ready, so we should head in."

"I'm fuckin' starving, so I'm not gonna fuckin' fight you."

After they eat, Chuck and Diane need to get their costumes on. Chuck leads Negan upstairs to her old bedroom, where her costume is waiting on her bed. He takes a look at the walls and lets out a chuckle.

"What?" Chuck asks.

"Is this just how you left it?"

"Pretty much," she answers with a shrug. "I think my mom always thought I would move back in at some point."

He points up to a poster showcasing Dean Winchester. "Really?"

"Shut up!" She playfully swats his shoulder. "I love Dean Winchester! I'm gonna take that poster down and hang it back up at home."

"No fuckin' way I'm gonna sleep in a bedroom with that fuckin' pretty boy watching over me."

Chuck laughs. "Dean's not a pretty boy. He's very manly."

Negan just gives Chuck the "really?" face.

"If _he's_ a pretty boy, then _you're_ a pretty boy." She doesn't wait for his reaction before she picks up part of her costume. "I need your help with this." She hands it to him and starts to remove her shirt.

"Don't think that you can distract me with-" The words die on his tongue as Chuck takes off her bra.

"What?" she asks.

Negan is definitely distracted at the moment, but then he realizes that he has something in his hand. "What the fuck is this? An ace bandage?"

"I need to strap down my chest."

"Why the fuck would you do that?"

"Because I'm supposed to be a kid. Kids don't have double dees. So..." She holds her arms up and gestures down to her chest, indicating that she wants him to start.

He lest out a huff and starts to bind her chest. "Goddamn travesty," he mutters to himself.

She giggles at him. "Should I be worried that you only like me for my boobs?" she jokes.

He bends down to kiss her shoulder. "You don't gotta worry about that. I like a shit ton of stuff about you."

She can't help but smile. "That's good to know."

When she's done with the clothes, she starts to put gray makeup on her arms to look like she just stepped out of an old movie.

"Shit, that looks fuckin' weird with you head regular colored and everything else fuckin' black and white," he comments.

Chuck grabs her pull over mask and puts it on. "How does it look now?" She picks up a prop knife and does her best "killer" pose.

"Kinda fuckin' creepy, actually."

"Yay!"

He chuckles. "But you just ruined it because crazy killers don't fuckin' say 'yay'."

She shrugs then takes the mask back off. She bends down to pick something up off of her bed, straightening up with it hidden behind her back after. "I got something for you."

He raises his eyebrows. "Okay...?"

"I figured you wouldn't have a costume so..." She pulls her hand forward, showing him the headband with devil horns that she had picked up earlier.

He laughs and takes it from her. "You think I'm a devil?"

"No." She laughs. "But it was either devil horns or kitty cat ears. I didn't think you'd want to be a pussy cat."

"Good choice." He puts the headband on and make a ta-da gesture. "Look okay?"

"You look... _devilishly handsome_." She laughs at her own joke.

He can't help but laugh, too. "That was fuckin' cheesy."

"That was so good!" She puts her mask back on and the pair heads downstairs.

When Diane sees them, she lets out a laugh. "You did so good, sweetie! You look just like the pictures you showed me." Diane is dressed in a long black dress complete with a witches hat. Her skin is tinted green and some of her teeth are blacked out.

"And the candy witch makes her usual appearance." Chuck gestures to her mother.

Diane gives a little flourish with her hands and lets out her best witch laugh. "The children will be here soon," she says in her witch voice. "Time to fatten them up!" She cackles again and Chuck joins in with her best demented laugh.

Negan smiles at their antics. "You guys are really fuckin' into this."

Within a half an hour, the kids start to approach the porch where the trio is waiting with their bowls of candy. Since Chuck and Diane have been doing this for years, the neighborhood children know to expect a lot of scary decorations and a ton of candy. This means that the kids make the Langdon house a priority and there is a constant stream of trick or treaters.

"A fellow witch!" Diane calls out in her witch voice when a little girl in a similar costume comes up. "Go ahead and take a handful." She lowers the bowl down so the girl can grab some of the candy.

Negan mans one of the bowls for a few minutes and he actually enjoys seeing the kids having a good time. Not to mention that he likes seeing Chuck act like a kid in a candy store herself.

"Oh look!" Chuck calls out. "It's a Castiel!"

"Trick of treat!" the teenage girl dressed as the angel from Supernatural calls out.

"Your costume is so good!" Chuck holds the bowl out and the girl grabs a few pieces of candy.

After a while, the trick or treaters thin out. Which is a good thing since the candy is running out, anyway. One of the last groups to come in is Diane's next door neighbor, Martha and her young grandchildren. Chuck had known her for years, but she hadn't really talked to her in a long time.

"Hello, Martha," Diane greets.

Martha looks over to Negan. "You didn't tell me you had a man in your life," she discretely says to Diane with a smile on her face.

Diane laughs. "No, no. This is _Chuck's_ boyfriend, Negan."

Both Negan and Chuck look toward Martha and Diane, then step to them.

"Oh," Martha calls out.

Chuck takes her mask off. "Hi, Martha."

Negan holds his hand out for the new woman to shake. "Nice to meet you."

Martha is taken aback for a moment. "You're an alpha," she whispers with her eyes wide.

Negan retracts his hand when she makes no move to shake it. "Yeah. I am."

Diane cuts in. "Chuck presented omega late," she explains. "Negan's her alpha."

Martha looks over to Chuck. "Oh." She looks back up to Negan. "I see."

Negan is instantly angry at the thought that this woman is judging them for their presentations. It isn't even about how she feels about _him_ , though. He's more angry that she would be judging _Chuck_.

But his anger is misguided.

Martha's face suddenly lights up. "Oh wow! I wouldn't have thought we'd have a mated pair around here!" She steps forward to grab Negan's hand and shakes it enthusiastically. "I'm so glad to meet you." She moves over to Chuck. "You were always so quiet. Now we know why! You were an omega all along." She practically grabs Chuck's face. "Look at you! So pretty! Oh, I've always thought omegas were so beautiful!"

Chuck giggles nervously. "Thank you...?"

"I'm so happy for you!" Martha looks back over to Diane. "You'll be a grandma in no time."

Now it's Diane's turn to laugh awkwardly. "Don't rush me into that. I'm too young!" she comments with some levity.

Chuck's face blooms red at the subject and Negan notices.

He clears his throat. "Looks like we got some stragglers." He nods toward some more kids approaching, effectively changing the subject.

Martha's grandkids start to get antsy, too, so she says her goodbyes and leaves. With the last of the candy handed out to those children, the trio heads inside and turns the porch light off.

"Did you have fun," Chuck asks Negan.

"I actually fuckin' did."

Diane walks over to him. "We didn't _scare_ you too much, did we?" She punctuates the word by wiggling her fingers.

He laughs. "It takes a little bit more than that to fuckin' scare me."

"There's always next year." Diane pats Negan on the shoulder as she passes him to go to her room. "I'm gonna de-witch myself."

With the costumes all removed, Chuck and Negan bid their farewells to Diane and head home in their separate cars. They walk in from the parking lot hand in hand and get to their hallway.

"Do you want to watch more scary movies before Halloween is officially over?" Chuck asks as they get to their doors.

"Sounds fuckin' good to me."

They watch a few movies, then get ready for bed. Chuck curls up into Negan's side and lets out a contented sigh.

"I'm really glad you handed out candy with us," she whispers into Negan's chest.

He kisses the top of her head. "I wouldn't have missed it for the fuckin' world."

She shifts so she can look at him. "You never complain about doing the stuff that I like. I can't say the same. Especially with sports." She giggles.

"You still hang out with me." He pulls her head down to give her a kiss. "Even if you're on your fuckin' iPad the whole time I watch a football game."

She laughs again. "I guess you're better at this relationship stuff than I am. I have to learn to compromise." She runs her thumb over his bottom lip.

"I'm gonna let you in on a little secret." He shifts them both so he's hovering over top of her. "You look so goddamn adorable when you're happy that it doesn't really matter what we're doing as long as I can see that cute as fuck smile on your face."

"Really?" She giggles

He bends down to kiss her. "Fuck yeah," he whispers into her lips.

She kisses him back. "Well, you're pretty cute when the Redskins get a touchdown and you get all excited."

He gives Chuck a face. "I'm not _cute_."

She nods with a giggle. "You are."

"I'm manly." He gives her a kiss. "And _rugged_." He gives her another kiss and she laughs. "And _dangerous_ ," he says dramatically then kisses her again.

"Dangerous?" she asks with a smirk.

"I'll just have to fuckin' show you." He grabs ahold of her and starts to pretend to bite her.

It makes her laugh. But as he continues to play around, her body starts to respond in a less than playful way. A warmth builds inside her as she focuses on Negan's hands traveling over her skin.

Negan feels the shift and looks down at her. Before he can get any words out, Chuck pulls his face down to meet hers in a passionate kiss. Negan lets her set the pace, making sure not to push her. When she arches her chest into his, he takes that as a sign and slowly runs his hand under her shirt. The contact elicits a soft moan from Chuck and spurs Negan further.

Chuck helps Negan to remove her shirt, the garment discarded to the floor. He brings his mouth to her breast, circling her nipple with his tongue as he kneads the other with his hand.

"Negan..." she sighs and runs her fingers through his hair. She takes her other hand and starts to push down her sleep shorts and underwear.

Negan rids her of the last of her clothing, then follows suit, pulling his own boxers off and freeing his erection. He settles himself between her parted legs, but doesn't push forward. Instead, he goes back to kissing her, allowing her more time just in case she wants to change her mind.

She doesn't, though. She wants this. And right now, those usual voices that would normally be working her up into an anxious mess are actually quiet.

"Please, Negan," she whispers into his ear.

"Okay, baby." He runs his fingers over her slit, finding an ample amount of slick already there. "Fuck," he groans out.

She instinctively spreads her legs further as he swirls his fingers over her sensitive bud. "Mmm," she moans and her breathing deepens.

He starts to tease her entrance and finds that she's much more relaxed and open than the last time they had gotten this far. He slowly presses one finger into her, feeling her walls make way for him.

A soft sigh leaves her mouth when he starts to thrust his finger in and out. During her times of self exploration, she had managed to insert her own finger inside her. She hadn't managed to bring herself any pleasure through that act, though. But what Negan is currently doing is a whole different story.

He adds another finger and slowly starts to open her up more. He can feel that it will take a while to get her fully relaxed and ready for his alpha cock, so he goes slow and takes his time. When he thinks she's ready, he pulls his fingers out, bringing them to his mouth to lick off her arousal.

The sight is so erotic to Chuck that she lets out a moan.

Negan chuckles. "You ready, baby?"

She nods with her bottom lip bitten between her teeth.

Negan leans over to pull open the drawer on Chuck's nightstand. He grabs one of the omega condoms and gets it ready to be used. Then, he looks to her.

She doesn't wait for him to ask. "I'm good."

He nods and inserts the condom into her. It's a little awkward at first, considering neither of them has ever used an omega condom before, but it's not at all bad. Especially given that the alternative of not using one could result in a pregnancy.

Negan gets back in position between her legs and lines himself up at her entrance. "I'm gonna go slow."

She nods without removing her eyes from his. "I want you, Negan." She runs his hands up his chest.

"Mmm, fuck." He kisses her hard then pulls back to set his forehead on hers. "You have no fuckin' idea how much I want you."

He starts to push in slowly, allowing her the time to adjust to him. It is a little uncomfortable for Chuck, but he is making sure that he's not going fast enough to actually hurt her. When he's fully sheathed inside her, they both let out a heavy breath.

"You feel fuckin' amazing, baby girl."

She moans at the praise. "Negan..." She wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him closer to her.

After a moment, he starts to move, pulling in and out shallowly until she's used to the feel of the movement. He starts move more freely until he's pulling out almost the whole way and pushing back in, keeping his pace slow and steady.

"Fuck, this is perfect." He plants his nose into the crook of her neck on the left side, right by her mating spot.

She instinctively tilts her head to the side to allow him the room. "Oh, Negan." All she wants is to be covered by Negan, so she wraps her legs around his waist and tightens her arms around him. It changes her position and allows him to enter her more deeply.

"Fuck," he groans against her neck. The scent coming from her mating spot seems to intensify causing him to place an open mouth kiss there.

As the heat builds between them, so does the urge for Negan to claim her. That's something they hadn't discussed, though, so it's certainly not going to happen. He pulls his face away from her neck starts to kiss her fervently.

Chuck starts to moan more as the pleasure builds. "I'm close," she calls out breathlessly.

"Me, too." He quickens his pace, chasing that end. He can feel his knot start to swell, his body reacting to the omega pheromones automatically.

"Oh god!" She arches her back as her hips buck of their own accord. She can feel his knot, too, as it starts to catch at her entrance.

"Fuck," Negan hisses through gritted teeth. He sets his forehead on hers as he continues to thrust his hips into hers.

"Negan, I'm gonna cum," she whispers.

"Fuckin' cum, Omega."

Her whole body tenses as the pleasure builds exponentially. Then it snaps, her body practically folding in on itself as the intense orgasm rips through her. "Alpha!" she screams as she body shakes and shivers through the orgasm.

That's all it takes for Negan, the title falling from her lips has his knot suddenly swelling as he cums into to condom. "Fffffuck," he groans and grinds his hips into her as far as he can.

Her legs start to shake as she comes down from the high. "Mmm." She pulls him closer to her again, wanting as much contact with his body as she can.

"Fuck," he breathes out. He has to purposely move his face away from her neck because if he doesn't, he's afraid that he'll claim her right then and there. Post orgasm, the urge is all the more intense.

He shifts them so she's mostly laying on top of him, since his knot is still swollen inside her, preventing him from pulling out. They lay there for a moment as they catch their breath, both of them softly caressing each other's skin. Chuck just likes the feel of his skin, but his action is more primal. He's covering her with his scent as it comes from his wrists as a way to mark her as his without claiming her.

"You okay?" Negan finally whispers into her temple.

"Mmhmm," she answers sleepily, her hand slowly moving over his chest turning more sluggish.

She falls asleep a few minutes later, but Negan's knot is still swollen inside her. He figured it would take longer than normal to go down, considering he hasn't knotted anyone in over a decade. He actually wasn't sure he could even pop his knot anymore. That is, until that first rut hit him and he surrounded himself in Chuck's scent.

There is, of course, another explanation for his prolonged knot. As well as the overwhelming urge to claim her. As much as he's been fine with taking things slow, his body has other ideas. His alpha side already sees Chuck as his, so he's pushing Negan to make it official with a claim. He's also pushing Negan to fill Chuck with pups; the extended knot making pregnancy more likely. Not that there's going to be a baby at all, since they used a condom, but Negan's alpha doesn't know that.

It takes about an hour for Negan's knot to subside enough for him to pull out, all the while, Chuck is sleeping deeply. Negan gets rid of the condom and cleans her up, making sure not to wake her. When he gets back in bed, he pulls her back into his side and she cuddles into him automatically. It doesn't take Negan too long to join her in a restful sleep.

The next morning, Negan, unfortunately, has to go to work. As much as he doesn't want to wake Chuck from her peaceful sleep, he's not going to just leave without talking to her.

"Wake up, baby girl." He shakes her a little.

She lets out a contented sigh and stretches a little. "Morning," she says with a sleepy smile.

"Morning." He leans down to kiss her. "I have to go to work."

Her smile fades. "Oh yeah."

"Trust me, I wanna fuckin' stay here with you, but I don't have a whole lot of fuckin' sick days left anymore."

She yawns. "Okay."

"Are you okay?" He tucks some of her hair behind her ear.

She smiles again, but her eyes are barely open. "I'm okay, Negan."

"Okay." He kisses her and starts to get out of bed. "I'll see you later." He leans down to kiss her again.

"Bye," she says quietly and snuggles back into the pillows.

Later that day while at work, Negan makes sure to keep in touch with Chuck via text. As he walks to the deli for lunch, he starts to talk to her.

 _Just sold a fucken truck and now I'm out to lunch_ he sends.

 _Good job on the sale!_ she writes back.

 _I always sell more when I'm in a good mood_

 _Can I take credit for that?_ She chuckles to herself.

 _You definitely can take credit for that_ He sends that then sends another. _Do you feel ok_

She giggles at his concern. _I'm a little sore, but I'm fine._

 _Sorry bbgirl I didn't want to hurt you_

 _You didn't hurt me. It was perfect._

He smiles as he reads the words. _Perfect huh. It was perfect for me too_

Negan looks up from his phone to see where he's going. He's still a couple blocks from the deli, just passing the Noble Moon Cafe. The memory of seeing Chuck sitting at one of their outside tables with Eldritch sends a twinge of possessiveness down his spine. The restaurant door opens up in front of Negan and none other than Eldritch himself walks out.

"You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me," Negan says to himself as he pauses his motion.

Eldritch turns his head and meets Negan's gaze. He knew that Negan walked by this cafe sometimes on his lunch break, but this impromptu meeting was completely unplanned.

Negan walks up to Eldritch. "You fuckin' following me?"

Eldritch lets out a smug laugh, acting like he doesn't care about Negan. "No. I was having lunch with some colleagues." He scratches at his beard. "What was it? Neegar? Naygel?"

"You know my fuckin' name's Negan, prick."

"I've only met you once and I really haven't given you a second thought," Eldritch lies.

"That's why you fuckin' hacked my phone to spy on me?"

"Do you have any _proof_ of that?" He gives Negan a smirk, knowing full well that he left no evidence to use against him.

Negan glares at Eldritch. "Just stay the fuck away from me and my omega."

Eldritch's face instantly falls. "You claimed her?"

It's Negan's turn to smirk now. "I thought you didn't fuckin' care about us."

Eldritch huffs out breaths from his flared nostrils for a moment before settling himself. "You didn't fucking claim her," he states with a maniacal smile on his face.

"Keep fuckin' telling yourself that." Negan takes a step into Eldritch's space and leans toward his ear. "But it sure as fuck wasn't _your_ knot making her sweet omega pussy cum last night," he whispers.

Eldritch lets out a growl and pushes Negan away from him.

Negan just laughs it off and takes a step back. "What?" he asks in a mocking tone. He's pretty sure Eldritch isn't going to do anything, considering they're on a busy sidewalk and there are already looky-loos just waiting to see if these two alphas are going to butt heads. But even if Eldritch throws a punch, Negan would still win because he'd sure as fuck press charges and that would get Eldritch in the system.

When Eldritch turns to walk away, Negan chuckles low in his chest. "That's fuckin' right, bitch," he mutters under his breath and continues on his way.

All day long, Chuck is equal parts giddy and anxious. She keeps going over what happened last night and can't help herself from smiling like an idiot at the memory of it. But then there's the fact that she hasn't really talked about it with Negan yet. Do they _need_ to talk about it? Do people _normally_ have a discussion when they have sex for the first time? Or do they just move on and that's that?

When Negan gets home, he greets Chuck before heading over to his apartment to take off his work clothes. Then he goes back over to Chuck's again.

"How was work?" she asks from her couch.

He sits down next to her. "It was fuckin' fine." He decides not to tell her about his run in with Eldritch.

"That's good."

He leans over and gives Chuck a kiss. "How was your day?"

"Okay." She smiles up at him.

He reaches over and pulls her into his lap so she's straddling him. "You good, baby girl?"

She giggles at him and places her hands on his chest. "I'm good."

He rubs his hands over her thighs. "You still sore?"

She shrugs a little. "Not really."

"Good." He wraps his arms around her and pulls her into him. "Have you been in that head of yours?"

She giggles at his question, since it seems that he knows her well enough to know that she would be overthinking things. "A little bit, maybe."

"Well, what are you thinking about?"

She pulls back to look at him. "I liked what happened last night."

He smiles. "I like what fuckin' happened, too."

"Is it weird that..." She keeps her eyes on her fingers as she trails them down his chest, "that it felt so... so..."

Negan isn't sure what she's going to say, but he's actually a little anxious that she's going to say something negative.

She completes her thought, "...right?"

He lets out a little chuckle, relieved at what she said. "Why would that be weird?"

"I don't know. Because it was the first time...? Like, don't people usually have to build up to that?"

He cradles her face in his hands. "Don't fuckin' worry about what other people do. If it felt right to you, it was right. I'm fuckin' telling you right now that it felt fuckin' right to me."

She smiles. "Really?"

"Fuck yeah."

She leans down and kisses him. "When can we do it again?"

He flips them around on the couch, causing Chuck to squeal at the motion. "Whenever you want, baby girl," he answers as he hovers over her.

Things progress over the next week between Chuck and Negan now that sex is something they are enjoying. Despite the awkwardness of it, Chuck tells her mother about about finally sleeping with Negan. Diane isn't exactly happy to discuss the details of it, but she's glad that Chuck was open with her. She's also glad that Chuck seems very happy with her relationship with Negan. The fears she had about Negan are proving to be unfounded as he's been nothing but patient and gentle with her.

Chuck informs Dr. Bailey of the development, as well. The doctor ends up sending Chuck a questionnaire for her and Negan to fill out and send back. It's awkward, but not as awkward as having to talk about all that face to face. Dr. Bailey gets the information all the same, regardless, so she's happy.

Chuck drives out to her uncle Aaron's house as he prepares to go on his trip to memorialize Eric. Diane is there, too, since she is going to be driving Aaron to the airport.

"Hey, Chucky," Aaron greets as she walks through the front door.

"Hey, Uncle Aaron." Chuck bends down to pet the shaggy dog that greets her at her feet.

"Thanks for watching Mozart for me," Aaron says to Chuck as he gets his bag ready to go out to the car.

"I love Mozart!" Chuck calls out and bends down to ruffle the excited dog a little more. "I wish I could have a dog at my apartment, but I'll just have to settle for spoiling this one for the week."

Aaron chuckles. "He will certainly _let_ you spoil him."

Chuck straightens back up to face Aaron. "You're okay with Negan staying here, too, right?"

Aaron lets out a sigh. "Yeah... Just... wash the sheets before I get back."

Chuck's face blooms red at his insinuation.

Diane slaps him on the arm. "Aaron," she chides.

He turns to his sister. "What?" He shrugs. "Was that really _that_ unfounded? I'm pretty sure we all know what a sleepover with Negan will entail."

"Okay, okay!" Chuck calls out with a wave of her hands. "Let's not talk about this, please!"

"Yes, _please_ ," Diane agrees.

"Alright." Aaron's goes over to Chuck and hugs her. "Send me pictures of Mozart while I'm gone."

She hugs him back. "I will."

"I'll bring you back some souvenirs."

Chuck giggles and pulls back. "I'll be reading your posts online."

He nods. "I just hope I can do Eric justice. He was always the better writer."

Diane pats him on the shoulder in reassurance. "You'll do just fine."

When Aaron and Diane leave, Chuck curls up on the couch with her laptop to get some work done. Mozart, of course, wants all of Chuck's attention, so he jumps up right beside her, plopping his head down in her lap and making it impossible for her to type.

She laughs at the dog. "What are you doing, buddy?" She scratches him behind the ears and he takes that as permission to get further into her lap to lick her face. "Mozart!" she calls out, though she makes no move to stop him. Instead, she grabs her phone and takes a selfie of the onslaught of puppy kisses.

Of course, she sends it to Negan, who looks at it immediately.

 _Fucken adorable_ he responds.

 _Mozart wants to meet you!_

 _Shit I love dogs. Can't wait_

She sees that Negan is still writing, so she waits.

 _How the duck do I do one of those faces_ he finally sends.

She laughs. _I'll show you when you get here._

 _Put that picture on facebook its cute as duck_ Negan doesn't do the whole Facebook thing, but Chuck has shown him some stuff before, so he knows what it is.

Chuck laughs at the repeated autocorrect fail that he must not have noticed. _You sure are saying duck a lot._ she teases.

 _It keeps changing it. Fucken annoying_

 _I'll add it to your dictionary._

Chuck takes Negan's suggestion and posts the picture on Facebook with a caption saying that she's dogsitting her uncle's dog. She gets a few likes from some of her acquaintances and some comments on how cute Mozart is.

Later on that night, Negan arrives.

"Wow," he says as he comes in and looks around. "This place is fuckin' nice."

"Yeah," Chuck agrees. "My uncles bought this cabin and completely remodeled it."

He looks around the kitchen at all the high end appliances and lets out a whistle. "They put some money into this place."

Chuck lets out a little laugh. "They did alright. And it didn't hurt that Eric's family is pretty rich."

"Ah." Negan raises his eyebrows. "Makes sense."

Mozart makes his presence known, since Negan hasn't properly said hello to him yet, by pawing at his legs.

"Hey, there," Negan says to the dog and starts to pet him. "You're a good boy, huh?"

Mozart wags his tail excitedly at the attention.

"He a mutt?" Negan asks as he continues to run his hands over the dog's fur.

"Yeah. Aaron and Eric found him as a puppy on the street and brought him home."

After they eat dinner, they cuddle up on the couch and watch some tv.

"Shit, I love fuckin' fireplaces," Negan mentions not for the first time after he had insisted on starting a fire in the living room.

"Should I tell Aaron you want to move in?" Chuck jokes.

"You think he'd let me?" he jokes back. "Honestly, this place is fuckin' perfect. I love this setup with the fuckin' sitting room." He gestures to the room around them. "Lots of fuckin' windows to let the sun in. Away from the city so it's fuckin' quiet."

"It _is_ in the middle of nowhere," she adds.

"I don't mind. No nosy ass neighbors peeking their heads over the fence. No getting woken up by some fuckin' car alarm on the street."

"The possibility of getting eaten by a bear..." she kids.

He pulls her in closer. "I would fight off any bears that even _think_ of eating you."

She laughs. "You're just buttering me up thinking it'll get you some."

"Is it fuckin' working?"

"Maybe."

Early the next morning, Negan wakes up to get ready for work. Since Aaron's house is much further away than Negan's apartment, he has to get up about an hour earlier than usual. Especially since he's going to be stuck in the rush hour traffic of everyone trying to get into the city for work.

He looks down at Chuck cuddled into his side and lets out a contented sigh. He has thoroughly enjoyed this last week of having a lot of sex with Chuck. After that first hiccup where she had a panic attack, he wasn't sure if she was ever going to be ready. But she has been nothing but enthusiastic this past week, and so has he.

He moves her hair off her face and places a kiss on the top of her head. "I gotta get up, sweetheart," he whispers loud enough to wake her but not enough to jar her.

She takes in a deep breath and stretches a little. "Morning," she says sleepily.

Negan can't help but smile. "Fuck, I don't wanna get up." He cuddles her in tighter.

"Your boss will hate you if you play hooky," she says without even opening her eyes.

"You're fuckin' right," he groans and nudges Chuck to scoot over so he can get out of bed.

"See you later," Chuck says with a yawn.

"Let me see them titties real quick to tide me over."

She giggles, but complies, rolling over on her back and pulling down the blanket to expose her bare breasts.

"Goddamn, baby girl. Mm," he groans.

She giggles again, though she's halfway asleep.

Negan bends down and pulls the blanket back up to cover her. "Go back to sleep," he whispers then gives her a sweet kiss. "I'll see you after work."

Sometime later, a faint alpha smell on the air starts to rouse Chuck from her sleep. When she hears a creak on the steps outside her room, she jolts further awake and realizes that the scent doesn't belong to Negan. Fear courses through her veins when she figures out that she recognizes the scent.

 _Eldritch_ she thinks.

Chuck gets out of bed as quickly and quietly as she can and grabs her phone off the nightstand. She ducks into the adjoining bathroom and locks the door behind her. Finding a bathrobe hanging on a hook, she slips it on to cover her naked body before she dials 911 on her phone. When she hits the button to initiate the call, she sees that she has no signal and no WiFi, which shouldn't be the case. It's truly unfortunate because Aaron's house has no home phone, so she has no way to get any help now.

Unbeknownst to Chuck, Eldritch had made sure to disconnect the internet and set up a signal blocker for the sole purpose of preventing Chuck from contacting anyone. He knew that Negan would be at work, leaving Chuck all alone for most of the day. The isolation of her uncle's home played well into his plan, too.

Back in the city, Negan is trying to make his first sale of the day when the hair starts to stand on the back of his neck and goosebumps break out all over his skin. He isn't sure what's happening, but he has an overwhelming urge to check on Chuck.

"Are you okay?" the young man asks Negan when the color leaves his face.

"Uh," Negan clears his throat. "I just have to make a phone call. Excuse me." As he walks away, he dials Chuck's number. It doesn't even ring, but goes straight to voicemail. "Come on, Chuck," he mutters to himself. He doesn't realize that by not ringing, that means that the call isn't going through at all. He redials and when her voicemail greeting starts to play again, he hangs up and scratches the back of his neck. "Fuck," he says under his breath as he comes to a decision.

Without saying a word to anyone else, he leaves the dealership and gets in his car, peeling out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell. After a few minutes of driving, he calls Chuck's number again, only to hear her voicemail just like before.

"Motherfuck!" he yells and weaves around the city roads to head out of the city even faster.

Chuck hears the door to the bedroom open so she stays perfectly still in the adjoining bathroom for a moment. She notices the other door in the bathroom which leads out to the hall. She very quietly walks out the door, but realizes that to get to the stairs and subsequently to her car, she has to walk past the open door that leads back into the guest bedroom where Eldritch currently is. She hears him trying to open the still locked bathroom door from inside the bedroom and takes her chance, pushing forward closer to the stairs.

Eldritch sees the movement through the doorway out of the corner of his eye and makes his move, rushing out of the room toward Chuck. She's already halfway down the stairs when Eldritch gets to them, but he descends them much more quickly than she does. When she gets to the bottom and turns to head toward the garage, Eldritch catches up with her and pushes her against a wall from behind, using his weight to pin her there. She tries with all her might to push back against him, but it's no use.

"Stop," he says firmly and takes her right arm and pins it above her head.

"What are you doing?" she squeals in fear, still struggling against his hold as her right cheek is plastered to the wall.

He pushes against her harder and leans his face closer to her ear. "Relax," he growls. When she doesn't comply, he squeezes her wrist painfully. "I said relax!"

She lets out a whimper at his action and decides to heed his words, afraid at what he might do if she didn't.

When she relaxes in front of him, he moves his free hand to pull down the collar of the robe, exposing the left side of her neck. "I knew he didn't claim you," he says as he moves his hand to trace his fingers over her intact mating spot. "Then when I saw that picture you posted, I knew what I had to do."

She's so afraid of what he means. "Please don't do this," she cries out. "Please don't hurt me!"

He pulls back a little like he's offended. "I'm not going to _hurt you_ , Omega. I'm going to make you _mine_. Like how it's supposed to be."

"I'm not yours!"

He flips her around to face him and wraps the fingers of his left hand around her throat. "Yes you are," he growls in her face.

Her heart almost beats out of her chest, she's so scared. "Please don't do this."

He pulls her off the wall and drags her to the sitting room, pushing her toward the couch.

"Present, Omega," he demands.

She knows what that means. He wants her to get on all fours so he can mount her, knot her, and claim her. Just the thought make her want to vomit.

"No!" she screams as she tightens her arms around herself.

He stomps forward and pushes her down on the couch. "Stop fighting me, Chuck," he growls.

"No!"

" _Submit to me!_ " he finally commands in his alpha voice.

It scares Chuck, because it definitely affects her. She feels a push to comply, but it's not like when Negan has used his own voice on her. It always felt right to obey _him_ , but this just feels wrong.

She fights back against the compulsion and launches herself toward Eldritch. Flattening her palms, she swiftly hits both his ears at the same time, causing very painful damage to his eardrums.

"Fuck!" he screams and goes down to his knees in pain as he cradles his head.

She takes the opportunity run down the hall to the end table by the garage door where she knows she left her car keys. They aren't there, though. As she starts to frantically search around for them, Eldritch has the time to recover.

"Looking for these?" he calls out as he steps toward her, jingling her keys in his hand.

Her eyes go wide as her only means of escape seems to slip through her hands. The house is surrounded by miles of forest and she'd never make it out and away from him on foot. Her only hope was to get to her car, but Eldritch had been one step ahead of her.

Even if she doesn't have a plan, she _has_ to get away from him. She turns to open the garage door, but Eldritch rushes forward and wraps his arms around her, pulling her back into the kitchen. She fights hard, kicking her legs out and throwing her arms back to try to hit his face. He suddenly lifts her up as far as he can and slams her to the ground. She lets out a cry of pain as she feels something in her arm pop when she lands hard on the tiled floor.

Chuck passes out momentarily from the pain of her broken arm. When she comes to, she's laying on the couch, now completely naked. Eldritch is standing right beside her, staring down at her. He's now shirtless and his pants are undone.

"I didn't want to hurt you," he states flatly. "But you _have_ to obey me."

"Please, Mr. Ruben-"

"Don't _call me that_!" he screams.

"I'm sorry," she whines. "I'm sorry, Eldritch."

"No. Call me _Alpha_. I'm your alpha."

Tears stream down her face as she realizes that she won't be able to stop what's most likely about to happen to her. He's so much stronger than her as it is, but now she can't even use her arm.

"Please," she whines again with her injured arm clutched to her chest.

He shakes his head. "You let that man trick you. Manipulate you into thinking that you're _his_. But you're _mine_." He bends down and places his nose against her neck. "I knew it the second I smelled you," he whispers into her neck, then snakes his tongue out to lick the skin there.

She starts to sob. "I don't want this. Please..."

"You'll change your mind once I claim you." He flips her around on her stomach. "Once you're pull of my pups."

"No!" She screams out and throws her head back, hitting him right on the nose and breaking it instantly.

"Fucking _bitch_!" He pushes down hard on her back which causes a searing pain to go through her arm as its pushed into the couch.

She screams at the pain. "Stop!" she cries out.

He curls the fingers of his right hand into her hair and wrenches her head up. "I'd like to do this the proper way and claim you as I knot you, but you're making this so fucking difficult." He pushes his face closer to her mating spot. "You'll be much more compliant after I bite you."

It's like everything goes in slow motion. He curls his head around her and opens his mouth, baring his teeth.

No matter what, Chuck is not going to let herself get claimed by this man. Before he bites into her mating spot at the crook of her neck, she bucks her hips out, hitting him in the crotch and causing him to curl more into himself. He's determined, though, and his motion isn't stopped. She tries to pull away, but doesn't get that far before his teeth are sinking into her shoulder.

She screams in anguish, but all she feels is pain. Not a bond to him. Not the urge to submit. Just pain.

The door crashes open and Negan comes barreling in. "No!" he booms in a loud growl.

Eldritch lifts his head, his mouth covered with Chuck's blood. He has a smug quip waiting in the wings about how Negan is too late, but he doesn't get the chance to say it as Negan rushes over and pulls him off of Chuck, throwing him across the room.

Negan gets on top of him, throwing wild punches into his face and growling like and animal. Eldritch is much heavier than Negan, though, and gains the upper hand, flipping them around so he's on top.

Eldritch starts to strangle Negan as he fruitlessly fights back. "I'm gonna fucking kill you, old man. And I'm gonna knot _my_ omega right in front of your corpse."

Chuck jumps off the couch and throws her good arm around Eldritch's neck, trying to choke him out and pull him off Negan at the same time. It's not effective, though, because she can't use her broken arm. Eldritch takes both his hands off Negan and turns to push Chuck away.

" _Stay back_ ," he commands, but it has no effect as she comes forward again to try to pull him off Negan.

As Negan coughs and sputters trying to catch his breath, Eldritch is distracted by how Chuck can disobey him. If he had claimed her, she shouldn't be able to.

"I said _stay back_!" When she swings her good arm to hit him, he pushes her away harshly, sending her to the floor.

Negan takes his chance and lunges forward, burying his own teeth into Eldritch's neck, right at his scent gland. He yanks his head back, ripping the flesh from Eldritch's throat with a wet squelch.

Eldritch lets out a sharp cry as he throws his hands up to stem the bleeding. There's nothing that can be done, though, as he bleeds out in seconds, dead before he hits the ground.

Negan pushes him off and rushes to Chuck, who is in a state of shock. She sees Negan coming at her with blood dripping from his lips and instinctively pushes herself back on the floor.

He doesn't stop and almost jumps on top of her, shoving his nose into her bloodstained neck. After a claim is made, the scent coming from an omega's mating spot is changed almost immediately as it will contain a bit of her alpha's scent forever. Negan is fully expecting to smell Eldritch on Chuck, but all he smells is her.

"Negan," she whimpers and he pulls back to look at her.

"He didn't fuckin' claim you," he says in astonishment. He knows there's a bite there, but somehow Eldritch had missed her mating spot.

"He missed?" she asks just as astonished.

Negan wipes some of her blood off of her shoulder to see the bite more clearly. "He fuckin' missed."

He pulls her into a hug, but she lets out a whimper of pain. "Shit," he pushes back away from her.

"My arm's broken," she explains as tears stream from her eyes.

"Goddamnit." Negan looks around and finds the robe on the floor. "I better call the cops." He puts the robe over Chuck's shoulders to cover her.

Negan pulls out his phone, but there's no service. "Shit," he mutters. "No signal."

Chuck starts to look around, figuring that Eldritch must have been using a jammer. Or else they are just _that_ unlucky that service dropped right when they needed it. She finds a black box set up by the door and points to it. "That needs turned off, I think." She sniffles and wipes her cheek.

Negan walks over and kicks the box, smashing it to pieces. He instantly gets full service and dials Rick's number.

"Hello," Rick answers after a few rings.

"Eldritch attacked Chuck and I fuckin' killed him," Negan blurts out.

Rick's eyes go wide at that. "Don't say anything more. Where are you?"

"A fuckin' cabin in the woods. I can text you the address."

"Do that. I'll call it in and send ems. Don't say anything to anyone until I get there." Rick starts to head for his cruiser in anticipation of leaving. "Is Chuck okay?"

"She has a broken arm and a bite on her shoulder. Motherfucker tried to claim her."

"Hang up and send me the address."

Negan does just that, then goes over to hug Chuck, making sure that he doesn't hit her arm. As the reality of what she just went through dawns on her, she starts to sob.

"It's okay, sweetheart," he coos into the top of her head with a kiss. "Let's wait outside."

He escorts her to the door, making sure to steer her away from Eldritch's dead body, then sits her down on the porch to wait for Rick. Not to mention the craziness that's going to hit him considering he just murdered another alpha. But he's not going to worry Chuck with all that yet. Instead, he pulls her into his side just trying to comfort her.


	13. Part 13

Negan and Chuck are sitting side by side on the front steps to the porch, waiting for the ambulance and Rick to come. Negan has his arm around Chuck, rubbing up and down on her right arm in reassurance as she clutches her broken left one to her chest.

"Does it hurt a lot?" he asks.

"Yeah," she chokes out. "The bite does, too."

Negan growls low in his chest at the thought of Eldritch trying to claim Chuck.

"It's okay," she whispers. "We made it out of it."

They sit in silence for a few more moments before a bark pierces the air.

"Oh my god! Mozart!" Chuck calls out and jumps up to follow the noise.

Negan follows, too, and they find the dog in the fenced in part of the back yard, safe and sound.

Chuck's tears are renewed upon seeing the dog. "Oh my god!" She bends down to try to pet Mozart. "How did I forget about you?!"

In actuality, Mozart is a very friendly dog and when Eldritch came to the back door, Mozart simply greeted him with a wag of his tale and cheerfully walked outside when Eldritch prompted him. Eldritch then closed the door after him, locking the dog outside and out of the way.

Negan scratches Mozart behind the ears, but is quick to nudge Chuck back up. "He's fine back here. I don't want you to hurt your arm worse."

Chuck nods then kisses the dog on the head. "It's okay, Mozart. We'll come back for you."

Negan leads Chuck back around the house just in time to see Rick's cruiser coming down the driveway. Somehow, he had beaten the ambulance there.

As Rick exits the driver's side, a dark skinned woman with thick dreads dressed in a smart pant suit exits the passenger side. They both take in the sight of Chuck and Negan and are taken aback. Both of them are have a significant amount of blood on them. Negan is covered in blood from his mouth all the way down his chest, his formerly white button up completely ruined. Chuck's fluffy white robe has blood staining the shoulder and some of her left sleeve. The newcomers school their expressions to spare Chuck and Negan the knowledge of just how bad they look.

Rick walks up to the couple. "EMS should be here any minute." He turns to the woman off to his right. "This is Michonne. She's my girlfriend, but she's a lawyer, too."

Michonne starts to talk quickly. "We don't have a lot of time before the other cops get here, so tell me everything that happened."

As Chuck and Negan go over the details with Michonne, Rick goes into the house to check to on Eldritch. The man in question is laying in a large pool of blood, his throat obviously ripped out. A very quick check of the pulse shows that the man is good and dead. When he comes back out, Negan is just starting to go over what happened when he got there.

"...and he was fuckin' biting her and I saw red. I thought he claimed her. I just fuckin' pulled him of her and started punching. Then he started to fuckin' strangle me, saying he was gonna fuckin' kill me. Then, Chuck got him off me. He fuckin' pushed her back and I bit him."

Michonne nods as she takes notes in her pad. "We have a lot going for us for this to be justifiable homicide. With everything you said... just tell the detectives all that. And Rick had written reports of what you told him before, so there is a record of that. It strengthens your case."

Chuck and Negan nod.

Michonne lets out a heavy breath. "It will help your case if you refer to each other as your mate to the detectives. Really play up that 'true mates' thing. I know there isn't an actual claim, but you're still dating and if we can convince the detectives that you see each other as mates, it will be better for you."

They both nod again as they start to hear sirens.

Michonne continues. "I need you to stay calm, Negan."

"Okay," he responds.

"Because they're going to arrest you."

"What?!" he calls out. "You just fuckin' told me it was justifiable!"

Michonne puts her hands up in a soothing gesture. "That's for the courts to decide, not the police."

Negan throws his arms up. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Chuck starts to cry again. "He can't go to jail!"

"I'm _not_ gonna fuckin' leave her," Negan says with conviction to Rick.

The sheriff takes the placating stance now. "You have to calm down before they get here or they'll take you straight to the alpha psych ward and they'll dope you for seventy two hours."

Negan looks up to the blue and red lights shining through the trees as multiple cars and two ambulances race down the road to the house. The thought of being away from Chuck for three days isn't at all attractive. He takes a deep breath to calm down and puts his arm back around Chuck. "I won't fuckin' fight them," he decides.

"I'm pretty sure I can convince the district attorney not to press charges," Michonne says quickly before more people come. "Just hang tight and cooperate."

The cavalcade finally pulls up and the whole scene turns to chaos. One detective questions Chuck as she's getting treated in one ambulance. Negan gets the same treatment, though he doesn't have as extensive of wounds as Chuck does. The EMTs say he doesn't need to go to the hospital, but they do take Chuck to get X-rays for her arm. Both Chuck and Negan don't want to be separated, but they know that they have to be for now.

During the investigation, the police log and take pictures of all of the scrapes and bruises on Negan's skin, including the deep bruises around his neck from being almost strangled to death. Cops are in and out of the house for hours, taking pictures and dusting for fingerprints, all the while, Rick and Michonne stand by Negan.

One of the detectives comes over to Rick and starts to go over their preliminary findings. "Back door was definitely jimmied. And that dog isn't much of a watchdog. Seems pretty likely the vic broke in which is consistent with the statements. Evidence all supports the couple's story, so your friends are seeming innocent."

Rick shakes the detective's hand. "Thanks, detective."

"We still gotta take the alpha downtown, though." He flicks his gaze to Negan.

Rick nods. "Yeah. He knows that. He's not gonna fight it."

Negan can hear the whole exchange, but he decides to keep his mouth shut, no matter how much he doesn't want to.

Finally, the cops take Negan to the jail and get him processed. Luckily enough for him, it's standard practice to keep alphas mostly in isolation, so he doesn't have to deal with any other prisoners in his cell.

Not that he really cares about himself right now, anyway. All he can think about is Chuck and how she must be handling everything.

When the ambulance pulls out taking CHuck to the hospital, Chuck asks one of the EMTs to contact her mother, who should be at work right now. The kind beta, who happens to know a lot of workers at Charity General Hospital where Diane is, gets word to her. She says she will get to Spring Harbor Medical Center as quickly as she can to be with Chuck.

Chuck gets wheeled in to get her arm X-rayed. It reveals a fracture in her wrist that needs to be set in a cast. Her shoulder is also looked at more extensively. Dr. Bailey, who was called in to oversee all of Chuck's medical procedures, determines that Chuck is very lucky not to have been claimed by Eldritch.

"One inch up and it would have been a full claim," Dr. Bailey explains to Chuck and Diane. "We could have reversed it, but..." she lets out a breath. "You were very lucky."

It's an incredibly long day, but eventually, Chuck gets the chance to relax at her mother's house. They had stopped off at Rick's to pick up Mozart before heading home, as Rick took the dog for safe keeping.

"You okay, sweetie?" Diane asks softly as she pushes some of Chuck's hair from her face.

Chuck lets out a deep breath. "I think I'm just gonna take some of those pain pills and go to bed." She starts to walk into the kitchen to pour herself a water, but she pauses and turns back. "Do you think Negan is okay?"

"I'm sure he's fine." Diane hugs her daughter gently. "You heard Michonne when we picked up Mozart. She figures Negan will get released tomorrow."

Diane's phone goes off and she looks at the message. "Aaron's boarding his plane now. He'll be here tomorrow morning."

Chuck nods. "That's good." She heads into the kitchen and takes her two pills. "I'm gonna go to bed. Night, Mom."

Diane gives Chuck a quick kiss on her head. "Night, sweetie. I love you."

"Love you, too. Come on, Mozart," she says to the dog, who is laying on the couch. "Let's go upstairs."

Mozart follows her up to her room and settles in at the foot of her bed. By the time Chuck slips under the covers, the pills have made her drowsy enough to have her falling asleep quickly.

The next morning, Chuck sleeps in, her body taking all the rest it can. When she finally gets herself up and around, Aaron is already there, sitting in the kitchen.

"Hey, sweetie," he chokes out and steps forward to hug Chuck.

"Hey, Uncle Aaron," she replies softly.

"I'm so sorry, Chucky." He starts to cry as his guilt builds. All he can think of is that Eldritch wouldn't ave attacked her if she weren't at his isolated house.

"It wasn't your fault," Chuck is quick to say. "I don't blame you."

Diane walks in. "Michonne has been texting me all morning. Negan is going to get released within the hour."

"Thank god," Chuck says automatically.

"Michonne's going to drop him off here."

Three hours later, a car pulls into the driveway. Chuck jumps out of her seat on the couch and runs out the door. Negan is already stepping out of the car when he sees Chuck, so he rushes toward her, too. When they meet, Negan wraps her up in his arms, lifting her off the ground.

"Are you okay?" He sets her back down and cradles her face in his hands.

She runs her fingers over the cuts and bruises on his face that have developed overnight. "Oh, Negan. I'm sorry."

He grabs her hand and brings it to his lips to kiss her palm. "I'm fine, baby girl." He gently takes ahold of her cast. "Is it bad?"

She shakes her head. "It's broken, but it'll heal."

"Are you in pain?"

"A little."

"Shit," he mutters. "I fuckin' hate that."

Michonne comes up behind them and clears her throat, causing the couple to turn to her.

"Hello, Michonne," Chuck greets. "Thank you for taking care of all of this."

She smiles warmly. "You're welcome. I'm sorry you both went through what you did."

"So is this all over," Chuck asks.

Michonne gives a tentative nod. "I think so. There's a slight chance the district attorney could still take it to trial, but I sincerely doubt that will happen."

Negan holds his hand out to her to shake. "Seriously. Thank you for this. You and Rick. You saved my ass."

"You're welcome," she says again. "I need to get back. I'll keep in touch, though. Hopefully I can get your phones back from evidence tonight and release Aaron's house as a crime scene."

They all bid their farewells and Michonne leaves. The Langdon family plus Negan all go back into Diane's living room and share some hugs upon Negan's homecoming.

"Fuck," Negan mutters at some point. "I need to call the fuckin' dealership and tell him what happened." He gets on Diane's landline and dials the familiar number to work, asking for his boss.

"Hello, Negan," Mr. Adams says in an unimpressed tone.

"Look," Negan starts to explain. "Some shit happened, but I'll be back at work on Monday."

"No you won't," his boss says flatly. "You're done."

"Are you fuckin' firing me?"

"Yeah, Negan. I'm firing you."

"You know how many fuckin' cars I've sold for you?"

"You know how many days you've missed in the last few months? You walked out in the middle of a sale yesterday!"

Negan takes a deep breath, knowing that there's nothing more he can say. "Fine." He hangs up the phone and stands in place, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Chuck had heard the whole exchange from behind Negan. "You didn't really like that job anyway," she says quietly, trying to make Negan feel better.

He turns around and nods. "You're fuckin' right. I goddamn hate that fucker Adams. He's a piece of shit."

Chuck steps forward and hugs Negan's torso. "You'll find something better."

He kisses her forehead. "Yeah, baby girl. I will."

The pair lay low at Diane's house, along with Aaron, since his house was first a crime scene and then it needed a few days at least to get cleaned up by a professional crime scene cleaning company.

The couple finally heads back home and resumes their "laying low" lifestyle, since neither of them are working at the moment. Ad Astra software decided to shut down temporarily, considering someone very high up in the hierarchy is now dead with extreme circumstances. Chuck isn't too concerned with heading back to work with them anyway. Not that it was really the company's fault, but it still leaves a sour taste in her mouth.

One afternoon, Rick stops by as Chuck and Negan are in Negan's apartment. They all sit in the living room.

Rick scratches at his beard in apprehension. "There's been a development."

Both Chuck and Negan sit forward in anticipation of what Rick might say. They were under the impression that the whole thing was over.

"They're not fuckin' prosecuting me, are they?" Negan asks.

"No." Rick takes a deep breath and continues. "We ran Eldritch's DNA through the system. It matched a thirteen year old cold case of a beta woman that was raped, strangled, and bitten on the neck. That case's MO matched several other unsolved cases in the past twenty years. All betas. All bitten. All redheads in their early twenties with similar body shapes."

Chuck is too shocked to say anything. The man that was her boss and then attacked her had actually _killed_ people.

Negan blurts out, "You're fuckin' kidding me." He's shocked, too.

"All the cases, he was meticulous in cleaning the bodies of evidence. But that one, we think he was rushed or something. The FBI is involved now because some of the victims were from Maryland. They're set to have a press conference in twenty minutes."

"Oh my god!" Chuck finally cries out. "He was going to kill me?"

Rick shakes his head. "We found journals in his house. He was fixated on..."He looks away. "He wanted to breed you. It seems like you were the first omega he met that matched his type." Rick lets out a sigh. "FBI profilers are saying it's alpha psychosis. Their instincts to mate go haywire causing them to be violent. They said it can come and go, so they look and act completely normal one day and then..."

Chuck lets out a sob and leans into Negan for comfort.

"I knew he was fucked up. I should've killed that fucker the second I met him," Negan growls out.

Chuck's phone starts to go off. She doesn't recognize the number, but she answers it anyway after wiping at her cheeks.

"Hello?"

"Charlotte Langdon?"

"Yes, that's me."

"My name is Kate Pine and I work with the Richmond Times. I'd like to ask you some questions about being the only survivor of the Redhead Killer."

Chuck is taken aback. "W-What?"

The woman continues. "Is it true you were saved by your true mate?"

Negan looks over to her and sees her confusion. "Who is it?"

Chuck answers. "It's a reporter."

Kate overhears. "Is that Negan? Put me on speaker."

Negan snatches the phone out of Chuck's hand and hangs it up. "Fuckin' reporters. Really?"

Rick shakes his head. "A high profile case like this, they'll come out of the woodwork."

"Great." Negan's phone starts to ring then from an unknown. "Are you fuckin' kidding me?"

"The reporter asked about us being true mates," Chuck says.

"Shit." Rick scratches at his jaw. "Someone leaked the case file to the press before the press conference. That true mates stuff was in the report. They weren't gonna mention it in front of the cameras."

Negan shoots up from the couch and starts to pace. "Motherfucker! We just went though that shit with that psychopath fuck and now we gotta deal with the fucking press?!"

Rick stands. "I'll see what I can do. This isn't my jurisdiction, but I'll ask the police here if they can watch you guys. And I'm gonna talk to your landlords and ask that they lock that downstairs door. It should be locked as it is."

Chuck's phone starts to ring again. "God!" She looks at the unfamiliar number. "I'm just going to block these numbers."

Negan hands her his phone. "Block them on mine, too."

Rick starts to walk to the door. "I'm sorry about all this. You guys take care of yourselves." He leaves.

The whole rest of the night, Chuck and Negan get calls from various reporters and their numbers are quickly blocked. But they keep coming and coming until about midnight when they mercifully die off.

The next day, the calls start again and more numbers get blocked. When Chuck's phone starts to ring right after lunch, Negan has almost had enough.

"This is fucking ridiculous!"

Chuck looks at her phone, ready to deny the call and block the number, but she stops when she sees Dr. Bailey's name on the screen.

"It's Dr. Bailey," Chuck says before answering. "Hello?"

"Hello, Chuck. How are you?"

"Actually, uh... I'm getting hounded by reporters," she explains.

"Well," Dr. Bailey pauses, "that's why I'm calling. I've been getting calls, too. They've been asking me about you and Negan and whether you two are really true mates."

"Oh, god."

"I haven't said anything, of course. I don't know how they even got my name. I haven't even published any of my findings concerning your being true mates, yet. Not that I would have had your real names in there, anyway," Dr. Bailey assures. "I just wanted you to know that that information is out there."

"Yeah. We knew that," Chuck admits. "But thank you, anyway for telling us."

"You're welcome. It just seems that the public may be interested in you and Negan being true mates and I want you to be safe. I don't want them to just see you as a commodity."

"We're trying to lay low as it is. But thank you for your concern. We just want to move past all this."

Later, just before they sit down to eat dinner in Negan's apartment, they hear a knock on the door. Their landlords had taken Rick's suggestion of locking the main door to the building from non residents, so it's a little weird that someone is there.

Negan gets up from the table and looks through the peephole. "Are you fuckin' kidding me?" he mutters as he spies a young woman with a microphone in her hand standing in front of a guy with a camera on his shoulder pointed at the door.

"Who is it?" Chuck asks.

"A fucking reporter," he answers.

"How'd they get in?" Chuck stands from her seat.

"They're fuckin' rats." He turns back to the door and starts to yell without opening it. "Get the fuck away from my door or I'm gonna call the fucking cops!"

The beta reporter is undeterred. "Please, Negan. We just want a comment. Were you protecting your true mate from the Redhead Killer?"

"Go away!" he yells again.

"You would be the first reported instance of true mates in modern times. Would you care to comment on that," she tries again.

Negan has had enough. "I said _go the fuck away_!" His alpha voice doesn't affect betas like it does omegas, but betas still know that it's smart to obey a command from an alpha.

The reporter and her cameraman quickly leave without another word.

"What the fuck," Negan says to himself.

Chuck gently rests her good hand on his chest. "Why do they care about all this?"

He pulls her into him and hugs her. "Because they're fuckin' vultures."

During the next week, Chuck and Negan hunker down in Chuck's apartment. The story of The Redhead Killer and the only victim to make it out alive, who happens to be true mates with the alpha who saved her, positively blows up. It's front page news on every newspaper in the city. All the local news stations try to get interviews with anyone even remotely close the Chuck and Negan as their main stories. Fortunately, the people closest to them refuse. Even Simon.

Rick and Michonne do their best to try to protect Chuck and Negan, which actually does help. The reporters stop contacting the pair after Michonne issues a statement saying that they would not be giving any interviews. And Rick makes it clear that any people found trespassing where Chuck and Negan live will be arrested.

Since the both of them are still not working, they really have no reason to leave the building anyway. Chuck officially leaves Ad Astra Software with a generous severance package that gives her enough money to live off of temporarily. She knows they gave her the money just so she doesn't sue them, but she wouldn't have done that anyway.

Negan has a lot in savings, as well. Not that he had ever touched that money before, really. It was Lucille's, after all. She was an only child and had inherited her parents' assets when they died. Lucille and Negan were newlyweds at the time, so they moved into the house her parents had left her and put the money in savings for any children they might have had. That didn't happen, though, and a good part of that money went to Lucille's cancer treatment. After Lucille died, Negan sold the house and put all the money in a savings account, never to be thought of again. At least until now, when he needs it.

Thanksgiving comes around and Chuck and Negan decide to brave leaving their little cocoon to head to Diane's for dinner. Things are okay when they first leave their building, but then Negan notices a car following them after a few blocks.

"Are you fuckin' kidding me?"

"What?" Chuck asks.

"There's a black Suburban following us."

"What?" Chuck looks out the back window and sees the car Negan is talking about a few cars back. "Are you sure it's following us?"

"Yeah. I think I saw a guy point a fuckin' camera out the back."

"Oh my god! We're not even doing anything but driving."

"If they approach this car, I'll fuckin' kill them."

"Just... Don't do anything, Negan. They want to sell the pictures or make a story out of it. If we don't give them anything, they'll go away."

"Fuckin' vultures. It's fuckin' Thanksgiving for Christ's sake! We're trying to see goddamn family." He takes a sudden turn to try to loose them.

"Negan!" Chuck cries out, having not expected the movement.

"Those fuckers are not following us all the way to Diane's." He takes a few more unsignaled turns and loses the reporters before they leave the city.

Chuck isn't exactly impressed with his driving. "Don't do that again."

"What?"

"Drive like an idiot! You could've killed us both!"

"I had it under control."

"I'd rather have a million pictures get taken of us than to get in a car crash."

"Sorry I scared you." He reaches over and grabs her hand, bringing it up to his lips to kiss her fingers, since the rest of it is under the cast.

They make it to Diane's without any further incident and pull into her driveway. She lives in a nice little neighborhood with its own neighborhood watch. Diane had told Chuck and Negan that they had to chase away a few reporters, but they haven't had any trouble for a few days.

Diane greets Chuck and Negan as they enter. "How was the drive?" she asks.

Negan hugs Diane then Aaron. "We had some shit stuck to our heel for a ways."

Diane somehow understands that he means a reporter had followed them. "Really? They followed you from your apartment?"

"I think they picked us up away from home," Negan explains. "They know they'll get nabbed by the fuckin' cops if they set foot on that property."

"They _should be_ arrested," Aaron throws in his two cents. "What sort of amoral assholes hound two people that just went through what you guys did?"

Chuck nods. "I never really thought about how invasive the press could be. I guess I always just assumed that they asked permission for the photos and stuff."

Despite the craziness of their lives at the moment, once they sit down to eat, the meal is pretty relaxed.

"You need some help, baby girl?" Negan asks Chuck as she picks up her utensils to cut up her meat.

She giggles. "No. I can manage," she answers. "I'm getting the hang of this thing." She lifts her left arm to indicate the cast on her wrist.

He chuckles and holds his hand up. "Just asking."

"Does it still hurt?" Aaron asks.

"Not really," Chuck answers. "Every once in a while I'll have to take some ibuprofen." She shrugs a shoulder. "It's not bad. More annoying than anything."

Diane swallows her bite before talking. "Remember when you broke your foot?"

Negan turns to Chuck. "You broke your foot?"

"Yeah. My senior year in high school," Chuck explains. "It sucked. I almost didn't graduate because the gym teacher wouldn't work with me and I wouldn't have had the PE credits to graduate if I failed the class."

"Then _I_ went right to the principal," Diane jumps in. "She wasn't too happy with that asshole coach after I told her everything."

"What a dick," Negan comments. "I wouldn't have let you fuckin' fail."

"That's right." Aaron points at Negan with his fork. "You were a gym coach."

"I was."

"Are you thinking of going back to it?" Diane asks. "Since you're unemployed."

Chuck looks up to Negan with a smile. He had told her before that he loved teaching kids, so the thought of him doing it again as a warmth blooming in her chest.

"I don't know," he answers. He hadn't really thought about it, but now that the suggestion is out there, it is a good one. "I don't know if any school would fuckin' take me, though. Considering the goddamn shit show I'm living now."

"You weren't convicted of anything," Chuck points out. "All the charges were dropped."

"Everyone still knows I fuckin' _killed_ someone, though. Parents would probably flip their shit about that."

"Well, you won't know until you ask," Aaron provides.

The rest of the meal is filled with light conversation and a lot of laughs. It's unlike any Thanksgiving Negan had ever had. When he was a kid, the holiday meal was tense. His alpha father was a violent drunk that treated his omega mother like a slave. Nothing she did was good enough for her husband, so the meal often devolved into smashed plates and screams.

After his parents died, the next time he had Thanksgiving dinner was with Lucile and her family. That was also tense, considering her family hated him from the get.

But _this_ is a real family holiday meal. No yelling. No tears. No broken glass. No glares from across the table. This is absolutely perfect. And it has Negan daydreaming about cooking his own turkey in his own kitchen in his own house in the suburbs. He wouldn't make Chuck slave away at the meal by herself, like his father. He'd help out. Shit, he'd do _most_ of it. Diane and Aaron would be there. Maybe he'd invite Simon, if he didn't have any place to be. The kids would be seated at their own little table off to the side with their own little plates.

 _Kids?_ Negan questions himself.

"You all done, Negan?" Diane pulls him from his thoughts as she points to his plate.

"Oh, uh..." He clears his throat. "Let me do that." He stands with his plate in his hand and moves to pick up the others on the table.

"No, no. You're a guest," Diane tries.

"You cooked all that shit. Let me clean up." Negan continues to gather the plates, despite Diane huffing beside him.

Chuck giggles at the exchange. "Me and Aaron are gonna set up the other room while you guys clean up." She and Aaron quickly leave to go back into the living room.

Diane chuckles to herself. "They do that every year." She shakes her head and walks over to the sink with Negan.

He puts the dirty plates in the sink and starts to wash them. "They leave you to clean up every year?"

"They do." She takes the cleaned plate from Negan and dries it off, setting it on the counter. "Did you like the meal?" she asks with a smirk.

He smiled. "I fuckin' loved it."

She chuckles. "I saw that goofy grin on your face."

"I'm forty seven years old and that was the first nice Thanksgiving dinner I had."

Diane's face turns sad. "Really?"

"Yup. My home life wasn't exactly The Waltons when I was a kid. And after I got married..." He pauses. "Her family didn't like me much." He looks back down in the sink and scrubs one of the plates.

Diane pats him on the back. "Well, you're welcome here. It might've been rough at first, but you're family now."

He smiles at her. "Thanks, Diane."

"But don't you dare ever call me mom," she jokes. "I'm only a year older than you."

"Shit, really?"

She playfully punches his arm. "I don't look _that_ bad for my age!"

He laughs. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just... shit. Chuck is fuckin' young, I guess."

"I wasn't really that old when I had her. Just turned twenty two. Me and her dad got pregnant on our honeymoon, pretty much."

"Shit."

"Yeah. But Chuck is the best thing to ever happen to me."

Negan doesn't say anything as he starts to wash the last plate.

"You don't have to say it," Diane whispers. "But I know she's the best thing to happen to you, too."

He looks over to her, and nods his reply.

Chuck, from the other room, is getting impatient. "Come on, guys! Hurry up!"

Diane chuckles. "We're done!" she calls back.

When Negan and Diane enter the room, Negan sees that there is now a card table set up in the center of the room with four chairs placed around it. Monopoly is set up in the center of the table with all the money divvied out already.

"What's this?" Negan asks.

Chuck comes over to him with a smile on her face. "We always play Monopoly on Thanksgiving, but first..." she takes him by the hand and leads him closer to the piano. She sits down on the loveseat beside it and prompts Negan to sit with her.

Aaron picks up his acoustic guitars and Diane sits down at the piano.

"I see what this is," Negan says. "You're trying to ambush me, but I'm telling you. You really don't fuckin' want me singing."

Chuck leans toward Negan and starts to sing. "Is this the real life?" Diane and Aaron join in on their instruments as Chuck continues. "Is this just fantasy?"

He shakes his head. "Bohemian Rhapsody? That's fuckin' low. _No one_ can resist singing this shit."

Diane and Aaron join in singing now. "Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality."

Negan shakes his head. "Nope. Not gonna sing."

"Open your eyes." Everyone looks at Negan as they sing their parts. "Look up to the skies and see..."

They all stop and stare at Negan, waiting for him to join in. He lets out a huff and takes in a breath.

"I'm just a poor boy," he starts quietly then Chuck and Diane jump in with the background vocals. "I need no sympathy," he continues.

"Because I'm easy come, easy go. Little high, little low," the Langdon trio sings in harmony.

Negan likes hearing them sing. And though he would rather just lean back and listen to them, being part of the song is nice, too.

"Anyway the wind blows doesn't really matter to me," he sings more confidently over the harmonies, though his voice is much lower than the song calls for. "To me..."

They go through the whole song, building in intensity until they're all practically screaming the crescendo. The rest of the song devolves into fits of giggles until the last notes are played.

"Bravo!" Diane calls out as she claps her hands.

"Yes," Negan starts. "Bravo to all _you_ guys who know what you're fuckin' doing."

Chuck nudges him with her shoulder. "I liked hearing you sing."

He looks down at her. "You did?"

"Yeah," she answers with a smile. "You sound good. I like your voice."

Negan starts to lean in for a kiss, but Diane (intentionally) interrupts the moment. She may be okay with Negan and Chuck's relationship, but that doesn't mean she wants to see them all over each other.

"Time for Monopoly!" she calls out as she moves toward the card table.

The others follow her and take their seats at the table. The board is already set up with three pieces already on the Go square, the Scottie dog for Chuck, the thimble for Diane, and the top hat for Aaron.

Chuck picks up the remaining pieces and holds them out for Negan to choose. "You get to pick your piece."

He instantly grabs the little car. "The race car, for sure."

Chuck sets the piece on Go with the others and they start to play the game.

Negan rolls the dice and starts his first turn. "I haven't played this game since I was a fuckin' kid."

"You remember the rules, right?" Aaron asks.

Negan lands on Connecticut Avenue. "Shit yeah, I remember. It's a fuckin' land grab." He takes out the $120 to buy it and hands it to Diane, the banker. "And you all are going fuckin' down."

As the game progresses, it becomes clear that both Negan and Chuck are shrewd capitalists. They quickly become opponents, their only goal is to take the other one out.

Diane laughs as Negan lands on one of Chuck's hotels, letting out a curse as he gathers the money he owes. "Did we forget to tell you that Chuck usually wins every year?"

"I'm not out yet," Negan comments. "I wanna start making deals."

Diane and Negan become allies as Chuck and Aaron strategize themselves. The game drags on, with both Diane and Aaron going bankrupt, leaving just Negan and Chuck with their respective Monopoly fortunes. It seems they're fairly evenly matched and the game continues on for a long while with money exchanged between the two with no real accumulation of wealth and neither any closer to bankruptcy. Negan would land on a hotel and give Chuck a bunch of money. Then Chuck would land on a hotel and give it right back.

Diane yawns as it's getting late. "I think we can consider this game a draw."

Negan looks to Chuck. "I'm gonna beat you at this stupid game at Christmas."

Chuck laughs. "We play _Risk_ after Christmas dinner."

"Even fuckin' better! I love Risk. I used to have a tournament for my baseball team at the end of the season every year. And guess what?"

Chuck gives him a sassy face. "What?"

He leans in. "I _always_ won."

Chuck laughs. "Don't get cocky, mister. I always win my games, too."

Aaron jumps in. "And that's with me _and_ Diane teaming up against her."

Negan smirks at Chuck. "You're on, little girl. We'll see come Christmas that there's a new fuckin' king in town."

Everyone says goodbye and Chuck and Negan head home. Since it's late, they immediately go into Chuck's room to get ready for bed once they get there.

"Did you have fun with my crazy family?" Chuck asks as she pulls on her purple nightgown featuring a pattern of little kitty cat faces.

Negan strips down to his boxers. "I fuckin' loved it. It made me realize that I'm fuckin' sick of this city. The traffic, the noise, all the fuckin' people... I want a yard again. I want peace and fuckin' quiet again. So I'm gonna look into buying a house."

Chuck's face instantly drops. All she can think about is that Negan would be moving away from her. She wouldn't be able to just run next door too see him. She'd have jump in her car and drive however long to get to him.

He sees the look on her face and knows what she's thinking. "Come here." He pulls her into him and sits on the edge of the bed with her right beside him. "I want you to come with me. Move in with me. We already practically fuckin' live together."

"You want me to buy a house with you?"

"Fuck yeah. I'm not going anywhere without you."

"I-I don't know if I have the money to buy a house."

"You don't have to fuckin' _pay_ for it, sweetheart. I got the money. And I wanna take fuckin' care of you. Get you away from all this shit." He gestures vaguely. "Away from those fuckin' reporters and anyone else that would fuckin' bother you in this city."

She bites her lip to keep from grinning. The prospect of officially living with Negan is very exciting to her. "You don't think it's too soon?"

"No," he answers bluntly. "I'm fuckin' sure about this."

She grins up at him. "Okay. Let's get a house."

He leans down to kiss her. "Shit, I'm fuckin' excited."

The thought of moving forward with Negan in this way has her thoughts racing. "Should we talk about... the other thing?"

"The other thing?"

"Claiming."

His eyes instinctively flick to her neck then back to her face. "Claiming?"

"I mean, moving in is a big step, right? So... I mean, we're together. And you're an alpha and I'm an omega. If we're together, don't you want to claim me?"

He thinks for a second. He _does_ want to claim her, but he's afraid to. He's not sure if he's ready to have an actual mate again. "What do _you_ want?" he finally asks.

"I'm-I'm a little scared of being claimed."

That makes his heart drop a little. "You are?" he asks. Even though he's scared, too, it hurts a little to hear that she feels the same.

"It'll change me, right? And I'm still sort of learning how I am as an omega to begin with."

"That makes sense. You're not afraid of _me_ , though?"

"No, no. Of course not. I know you're my... my alpha. I want to be your mate. It's just..." she trails off.

"Scary?" he completes the sentence.

"Yeah."

He wraps his arms around her and pulls her into a hug. "We got time, baby girl." He kisses the top of her head. "There's no fuckin' rush."

She hugs him back. "Thank you for being so patient with me."

He pushes her back to look at her. "You never have to worry about me pushing you into any-fuckin'-thing. I would never hurt you like that."

The next morning, Chuck wakes up to an empty bed. That's not unusual; Negan is an earlier riser than Chuck. She gets out of bed and feels a little twinge of something, but it's slight so she ignores it and exits her room. Negan, dressed only in his boxers, is on the couch, drinking his coffee and reading the paper.

"Morning," Chuck greets. She looks him over and sees a light blush on his cheeks. "You feel okay? You look flushed." She comes forward to place her hand on his forehead.

"I'm fine." As soon and Chuck gets close to him, he realizes what's going on. "You're going into heat." He sets his coffee down and runs his hands up her legs to her hips. "I'm starting a rut, I guess."

At his words, Chuck starts to recognize the feeling in her abdomen as such. "Oh god," she murmurs.

Negan pulls her down into his lap and wraps her in his arms. "It's gonna be okay," he whispers.

Chuck is nervous. This will be the first heat that she won't spend in the hospital. Dr. Bailey had told her that with Negan there, her heat won't get too bad and won't be dangerous. Still, she's worried.

Negan pushes some of Chuck's hair back and cradles her face. "I'm gonna take care of you."

Chuck nods. She does trust him, but she's still anxious.

"Let's get some food in us before were too far gone to care about that shit."

Negan makes them breakfast then sets out to ready Chuck's room. He leaves a case of bottled water by the door to keep them hydrated and brings out some extra towels in case things get messy. He also sets out the condoms on the nightstand for easy access, considering they are going to be using a lot of them, probably.

While he's doing that, Chuck leaves a text for her mother telling her that she's going into heat and probably won't be texting back for a couple days. She also gives Dr. Bailey a quick call with the development, as well.

After getting one of the condoms ready, they both cuddle up on Chuck's bed to rest before their heat/rut sinks in too much. After a few minutes, Negan starts to instinctively run his hand over her, covering her in his scent as his rut starts to wrestle more control over his rational mind.

Chuck isn't doing much better. Her omega side is calling out for her to get this all started. As her temperature starts to rise, she pulls away from Negan and strips off her nightgown, leaving her naked.

The sight is too much for Negan and he practically pounces on her, his lips crashing into hers in a fervent kiss. She returns it with enthusiasm as she snakes her fingers through his hair to pull him even further into her.

His hands rove over her body, squeezing her curves and leaving his scent on her skin. It doesn't take long before his impatience starts to grow. He pulls back from Chuck to remove his boxers, freeing his already hard cock.

When Negan moves away, Chuck's omega side takes over and her body turns onto its stomach with her knees tucked underneath her. The classic submissive pose is too much for Negan's alpha side to handle and he is spurred into action.

He crawls over Chuck's back and swiftly enters her, starting up a brutal pace. He had never taken Chuck like this before, but he's not exactly in his right mind. Neither is Chuck, though, and Negan's movements are just what she needs to sate her heat.

"Fuck, omega," Negan growls into Chuck's ear. "I'm gonna knot you."

"Yes," she moans.

As they both get closer to their ends, Chuck instinctively tilts her head to the side, exposing her mating spot. The action has Negan's alpha side completely overriding his rational brain and he places his mouth to her neck.

"Fuck, you smell so good," he groans as his knot swells.

"Alpha," she moans and bucks her hips back into him.

"I'm gonna knot you."

"Yes," she breathes.

He hovers his mouth over her neck as his knot pops inside her and triggers her release. As he cums, somewhere deep in his mind, there's a voice telling him _Don't do it! She told you she wasn't fuckin' ready!_

But his alpha side is too strong. Especially when he sees the fading scar of Eldritch's bite on her neck way too close for comfort. He sinks his teeth into her mating spot with a growl as he holds her tightly against him, not much caring for the consequences of his actions. Yet.


	14. Part 14

Negan's teeth pierce the tender skin of Chuck's mating spot sending a wave of euphoria through her body. The world melts away as all she feels is his arms tightly around her, his knot firmly inside her, and his claim on her neck. Warmth spreads from his bite throughout her body, filling her with a feeling of contentment.

This is what she wants. This is what's meant to be. To be Negan's. To be his mate.

At least that's what her omega side is thinking.

Negan's bite holds tight to her neck as his knot remains inside her. Only when his knot diminishes does he pull away, pulling her along with him to both lay on their sides. He lightly licks at the wound he had just made on her to clean it of blood and ensure that it heals quickly.

Within minutes, both of them are asleep which gives them a temporary respite from their raging hormones. It only lasts about an hour before they're at it again, all growls and groping hands. It's passionate and needy on both their parts. All they are thinking about is being with each other and that's it.

After several hours of sex and catnaps, Negan knows his mate needs to eat. Despite her protests, he leaves the bedroom to make them both some sandwiches. They barely get them down before they're all over each other again.

By the third day, they've slowed down as their energies ebb with the ending of their heat/rut, but the urge to be together is just as strong. Negan nuzzles his nose into her now claimed mating spot as he pushes into her with a lazy rhythm. After the claim, the scent coming from her neck is now forever changed. Hers is still there, but now it's mixed with his. As he smells himself on her, it has a sense of pride blooming inside him.

 _This is_ _ **my**_ _omega_ he thinks. _I'm gonna take fuckin' care of her forever._

Chuck's primitive omega side is thinking similar things. About how she'll always support him. Bear him all the pups he could ever want. Raise strong alpha sons and beautiful omega daughters for him. Tend his home with all the things he'll provide.

As she gets closer to her end, she puts her nose to his neck, breathing in his scent. Alphas don't get claimed like omegas, but she can't seem to keep her mouth away from his spot. He growls as she places an open mouthed kiss to his sensitive skin. It spurs her further and she places her teeth on the area in a light bite.

"Oh fuck," he groans.

The sensation of her teeth on his neck is too much and he can't hold back any longer. As he comes to his climax, Chuck goes over the edge as well.

Both of them are just about out of energy, but Negan manages to clean Chuck up of the used condom and get back into bed with her resting on his chest. They both fall asleep almost immediately and sleep through the night for the first time in three days.

The next morning, Negan awakes feeling completely drained since his hormones are back to normal. The memories of the last few days are hazy, but they sharpen in focus the second he sees the fresh claim on Chuck's neck.

"Shit," he mutters as his eyes go wide. "Fuck," he says louder.

The sound wakes Chuck up. She's just as dazed as Negan was, but when her hand goes up to her sore neck, her eyes slam open at the feel of the wound on her neck. She pushes herself up from Negan and looks at him.

"You claimed me?!"

"I didn't fuckin' mean to!" he yells back. Emotions are high for both of them at the moment.

Chuck jumps out of bed and runs to the bathroom to look at the new mark. "Oh my god!" she calls out upon seeing the textbook claim.

Negan gets out of bed and finds his boxers on the ground. "I didn't fuckin' mean to!" he says again as he pulls the boxers up his legs.

Chuck stomps back out to meet him. "You didn't _mean_ to?! Are you telling me your teeth _accidentally_ , _somehow_ , bit into my _neck_!" she bites back.

He throws his hands up. "I'm saying I didn't fuckin' _intend_ to fucking mark you!"

She shakes her head as she puts on the pajamas she found on the floor. "Well," she straightens up to look right at him, "you _did_ mark me."

"This isn't all on me, Chuck," he barks back. " _You_ fuckin' _presented_ to me. You _bared_ your fuckin' _throat_ to me. I was in goddamn _rut_ and you expect me ignore that shit!"

It hits Chuck all at once, the memories of the last few days. She _had_ presented. She _had_ bared her neck. Despite what she had thought and what she had said to Negan before her heat hit, her body had gone through the motions all on its own. It had granted permission and Negan, similarly under control of his baser instincts, had accepted.

Her eyes well up as she looks at Negan with his face twisted in anger, her own fury rapidly dissipating. "I'm sorry," she chokes out. "You're right. It was both of us."

Just one look at Chuck's expression has his emotions turning, as well. "It's okay," he says gently as he walks forward to wrap his arms around her. "I'm sorry." His only thought now is to comfort her and calm her down." I'm so fuckin' sorry, baby girl. I did take what you said seriously, but I just... I couldn't fuckin' stop myself." He starts to lightly run his hand over her hair. "If you want to reverse the claim-" he starts quietly, but Chuck pushes him away to look him in the eye.

"No!" she interrupts immediately. It startles her how automatic it is. "I don't want that." She wipes at her eyes. "I-I knew we would be mated. I wanted it, but... I just wanted more time to prepare, I guess. But now..."

"Yeah. I wanted to wait, too." He nods his head sadly. "I was afraid to have a mate again," he admits hesitantly.

"You're afraid?" She's confused.

He nods again. "Being mated... It's intense. The feelings are so much more than anything else," he explains. "The way I feel about you..." he lets out a breath, "it's already... different. I was afraid..." he trails off, unsure of how to say what he wants to.

She's struggling to understand him. "You're afraid... of me?"

"No," he answers instantly. "Not you. I'm afraid..." He shakes his head. "I'm afraid you'll feel that way about me. That you'll fuckin'... love me like that. And that I'll fuckin' disappoint you and break your heart." He looks away. "I couldn't stand it if I fuckin' did that to you."

"Negan..." She lays her hand on his cheek. "I trust you."

"You shouldn't."

"Have you lied to me?"

He shakes his head.

"Have you hidden anything from me?"

"No."

"Then why shouldn't I trust you?" She smiles up at him and he can't help but return it.

"All I want is to protect you, baby girl." He takes her chin in his hand and pulls her face toward his in a kiss. "Now that you're my mate, that feeling is gonna fuckin' multiply. It's..." He pauses to try to put it into words. "People get shit wrong about alphas and omegas. They think the alpha is the head fuckin' honcho in the relationship. I guess that's probably true for abusive knotheads, but that's not how it's supposed to be. An alpha should _live_ for his omega. Her life is much more important than his." He sets his forehead on hers. "It's a lot of responsibility and I'm scared I'll fuck it up again," he whispers.

She tilts her head to kiss his lips. "You won't," she whispers back.

"You don't know that."

"I do," she replies with certainty.

He chuckles and kisses her back. "Well alright then." He's still afraid of making mistakes, but her faith in him means the world to him.

"We need a shower," she comments with a laugh.

"We really do," he replies. "After that, I'll make us something to eat. I'm fuckin' starving."

"Me, too."

The whole rest of they day, with their heat/rut taking a lot out of them, they lounge about. They practically eat themselves out of house and home to replenish their energies then cuddle on the couch in front of the tv until they go to bed again.

In the morning, Chuck invites Diane over. She figures that it's best to tell her in person that she and Negan are now mated to each other. As Negan and Chuck wait for Diane's arrival, they both nervously mill around the apartment.

"Is your mom gonna fuckin' kill me?" Negan finally asks.

"I don't think so...?" Chuck answers without a lot of confidence.

"Shit. She was just starting to fuckin' like me."

"She'll understand when we tell her it was both of our decisions. I think." She shrugs a little. "At least we can tell her that I'm not gonna be pregnant since _somehow_ we managed to stay safe the entire time."

"That's something, I suppose," he mutters. "You should probably call the doc to tell her this shit, too."

"Yeah. I guess I should." Chuck quickly calls Dr. Bailey and sets up an appointment for the next day to meet with her.

As she's finishing up with that, the intercom buzzes and Negan answers it.

"It's Diane," comes through the speaker.

Negan presses the button to buzz her in and turns back to Chuck, who is now done on the phone.

"Here we go," she says. There's no way to hide the fresh claim on her neck, so the second Diane looks at her, she'll know.

And that's exactly what happens the moment she walks through the door.

"You claimed her?!" Diane yells as she glares at Negan.

"It's not Negan's fault," Chuck tries.

"Did you two discuss it beforehand or was it just what _Negan_ wanted?" Diane spits.

Negan wants to fight back, but he knows that will just make things worse, so he stays quiet.

"Mom!" Chuck calls out. "I'm telling you it wasn't just Negan. It was both of us. Neither of us could control it."

Diane still looks mad. "Did you use protection?" she huffs out.

"Yes. We did," Chuck answers. "Don't be mad at Negan for this."

Diane looks over to the man, who has his head hung low. She sees that he isn't talking back or making excuses, but she's unsure why? "Did you plan this?" she asks bluntly.

He shoots his head up to answer. "Absolutely not. I would _never_ intend to hurt her like that." He takes in a deep breath. "I know this is more on me and I take that fuckin' responsibility-"

"No," Chuck interrupts. "If I hadn't given you those signals, you wouldn't have marked me. I _know_ it."

Diane looks between the two and sees that Chuck isn't lying. She seems okay with all of this, so Diane figures she should be okay with it, too. "So... This is happening now?"

Chuck and Negan both nod.

"Okay then," Diane says almost to herself. "As long as you're both happy, I guess everything is good. But I won't hesitate to get Chuck away from you if you break her heart," she directs at Negan.

"If I broke her heart, I'd let you," is all he says.

The next day, Chuck and Negan get ready for their appointment with Dr. Bailey. Since it's been about three weeks since the news broke about Eldritch, the press have mostly moved onto other stories. Especially since Chuck and Negan have made it completely clear that they won't ever sit down for an interview. That doesn't mean that there isn't the odd reporter still trying to make a story out of them, which Chuck and Negan are aware of.

As Negan drives them to the medical center, he notices a car making the same turns as him. "Fuck," he growls as he checks the rear view.

"What?" Chuck asks.

His voice is gruff as he answers. "We're being followed."

Chuck looks back to see. "I don't see..."

"The red Nissan."

She looks closer and finds the car just as it turns off. "Well they're not following us now."

Negan just lets out a low growl. Since he's newly mated, the urge to protect his omega is high.

His reaction as well as his general temperament have her a little worried. "Are you okay?" she asks.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure? You seem tense."

"I just don't want those fuckers coming after you."

"I don't think anyone's coming after me, Negan."

"Not if I can fuckin' help it."

They get to Dr. Bailey's office and are directed to one of the exam rooms. After a few minutes of waiting, she comes in carrying her laptop in one hand.

"Hello." She shakes both of their hands and sets her computer on the small table, readying it for the information she will enter into it. "So," she starts. "How's your arm?"

Chuck lifts her casted left arm a little. "It's not too bad, really. More annoying than anything else now."

"That's good, but that's not why you're here, is it. I'd like to look at the mark, if I could." Dr. Bailey gestures to the exam table.

"Sure." Chuck hops up on the bed and moves her strawberry blonde hair away from the left side of her neck.

Dr. Bailey looks at the bite for a moment then pulls back. "Looks great. Full claim. Nice and clean. Looks like it's healing just fine." She sits down in the chair in front of her laptop and starts typing.

Chuck gets off of the exam table and sits back down in the regular chair by Negan.

"So," Dr. Bailey finishes typing and looks to the pair. "Being mated now traditionally means you will be more in tuned with each other. Since that was already the case, I'm not exactly sure what to expect of this. The feelings may be more intense or it might just be more of the same. Negan," she looks at him, "how does it feel to you? Is it similar to your first mating experience?"

He clears his throat as he thinks it over. He normally wouldn't talk about this kind of stuff, but trusts Dr. Bailey, so he opens up. "I guess. I mean, it does feel more..." he thinks about what he wants to say, "I guess I'm more fuckin' anxious that I won't be able to make her happy or keep her safe. That's all I want."

Chuck reaches over to grab his hand. "You don't have to worry about that, Negan."

"I can't fuckin' help it. With Lucille..." He shakes his head. "I loved her and I _wanted_ to take care of her. But I wasn't a good fuckin' husband. I was unfaithful and I know I fuckin' hurt her. It's not that I didn't fuckin' _care_ she was hurt. It's like I just fuckin' put it out of my mind so I could still do whatever the fuck I wanted." He lets out a huff and hangs his head. "I was so goddamn selfish."

Dr. Bailey, who was a friend to Lucille and knows very well how Lucille felt about Negan's infidelities, can't stop herself from asking what's on her mind. "Do you think you'll be selfish with Chuck?"

He looks over to his mate to see her expectant face. "Every fuckin' bone in my body is fuckin' telling me that I'd fuckin' die for her. And if anything happened to her, I'd go fuckin' crazy." He lets out a breath. "I was bad after Lucille, but I'd never come back if I lost you," he says to Chuck.

Looking in his eyes, Chuck can see how genuine he is. She's not sure how to respond. "Negan..." She reaches her hand out to caress his cheek.

"I need to ask you, Negan," Dr. Bailey interrupts the moment, "given what you did to protect Chuck _before_ she was your mate, do you feel you could become violent again?"

"If someone was hurting her, ab-so-fuckin'-lutely," he answers quickly.

"I suppose I mean, would you become violent in inappropriate situations? If, say, someone bumped into her in the street."

He lets out a huff. "I can control myself, if that's what you're fuckin' asking."

"He got paranoid on the way here that we were being followed," Chuck mentions.

He looks over to her. "I wasn't fuckin' _paranoid_. They _were_ following us for a few goddamn blocks. If you don't remember, reporters fuckin' followed us before."

"I remember. But even if they do follow us, they know not to approach us. No one's even tried to talk to us for like a week."

He lets out a little growl which has Dr. Bailey raising an eyebrow. "I'm not gonna fuckin' kill anyone," he reassures.

Dr. Bailey nods. "I just want you to keep your head, Negan."

"I will, doc," he replies with some attitude.

"Good. Now," Dr. Bailey lets out a breath. "Now that you're mated, the issue of pups really needs to be discussed.

Both Chuck and Negan are slightly uncomfortable with the subject. The most they've talked about it with each other is that they don't want kids right at the moment. Beyond that, they haven't discussed it.

Dr. Bailey sees the discomfort in them. "Have you talked about it?"

They both look at each other before Chuck answers. "Not really. We've been using protection, but..."

"We aren't rushing," Negan finishes the thought.

"Since Chuck can't take suppressants, the urge to have a child will build the longer you continue to have heats and ruts without actually getting pregnant."

Chuck didn't know that. "Really?"

"Will it be fuckin' dangerous for her?" Negan asks. "Will her heats get bad like before?"

"No," Dr. Bailey answers. "But there's a strong possibility you'll both just be less in control. More feral."

Chuck and Negan give each other a look.

"It's something to think about," Dr. Bailey adds. "Again, we're in uncharted territory. You may be able to keep it together until you both decide you're ready. But maybe..."

Chuck completes her sentence. "Maybe we'll be too hormonal to care and I'll get pregnant during my next heat."

"It's certainly a possibility," Dr. Bailey comments. "Especially given how the claim went."

After a few more minutes of discussion, Chuck and Negan bid farewell to the doctor and head home. They happen to hit rush hour congestion, so it makes the trip back longer.

"Goddamnit," Negan groans as he brings the car to a stop. "I'm so fuckin' sick of this city."

"I kinda am, too. Since I'm not working, it's like I don't have any reason to want to be here."

"I wanna get on looking for fuckin' houses when we get back home." He looks over to Chuck for a moment. He'd been wanting to move for a little while now, but now that Chuck is his mate, he wants to make an actual home for her. "And I guess I should look for a goddamn job," he adds unenthusiastically.

"I've been looking around online already. I found some companies that will let me work from home full time. I sent out some resumes, so I just need to hear back."

"Rick mentioned that there are some empty houses in his neighborhood in Alexandria up north. It's a newer fuckin' community I guess. Maybe we could look at those."

Chuck smiles at the thought. "That would be nice. And it's really not any further away from my mom than we already are." She hesitates before asking what she wants to. "Is there a school close by?"

"Did the doc give you baby fever?" he jokes.

She chuckles. "No. I was thinking for you. Maybe... you could apply for a job there." She smiles at him, hoping that he won't be mad at the suggestion. The subject of him teaching again got brought up at Thanksgiving, but Negan dismissed it and hasn't mentioned it since.

He looks over to her and lets out a sigh. "I don't know..."

"It would make you happy."

He shakes his head and looks away. "They might not fuckin' let me set foot in a school again."

"Rick would vouch for you."

He looks back over to her. "Maybe."

"You know he would. And I bet the people you used to work with would, too. Like that guy I met when you took me to the baseball field."

The cars finally start to move ahead of them.

"Fuckin' finally," Negan mutters and pushes the car forward.

"I want you to be happy," Chuck blurts out.

Negan glances over to her. "I _am_ happy. Anyway, it doesn't matter what fuckin' job I have as long as we're together."

His words make her smile, but she doesn't want to let on how much they mean to her. "That was pretty cliche," she jokes.

"What? That was fuckin' romantic as shit!"

She laughs. "It was, like, former-a-list-star-but-can't-get-any-good-movies-so-they-do-a-crappy-rom-com level romantic."

"No it fuckin' wasn't! It was like..." He struggles for a relevant comeback. "I don't know shit about rom coms. What was that one with the guy and the girl and the lake and everyone fuckin' loves it?"

She laughs at his description as she tries to think of what he's talking about. "Uh... The Notebook?"

"Yeah! The fuckin' Notebook. It was like that."

"I've never seen it. I think they die in it or something."

"Oh shit. Then not like that. It's like one of those sappy happy ending ones."

She giggles. "Let's hope."

When they get back to their apartment building, they start to look up available houses. They set up some appointments for houses nearby and some near Fredericksburg to be close to Diane as well as the houses in Rick's neighborhood. Over the next few days, they start to visit them.

The first house is just outside of Charlottesville, so it's not too far away from their apartments. It's been recently renovated and completely modern with all new appliances and a chic paint job. After the realtor goes through her whole spiel, she leaves the couple to wander the house on their own.

"It's cute," Chuck comments.

"Cute?" Negan replies. "It's fuckin' tiny. No yard. And there's barely enough room for any counters in the kitchen. It only has two goddamn bedrooms and the second one is as big as a fuckin' closet."

"So pass?"

"Definite pass."

The next one is closer to Fredericksburg and is a huge Victorian in need of some repairs.

"This shit is gorgeous!" Negan calls out as he gestures all around him. "Look at all the hand carved wood."

Chuck looks to what he's talking about. It certainly was gorgeous... about fifty years ago. Now everything needs refinished. And some fresh paint wouldn't hurt. "We'd have to put a lot more money into it. And it's a little big for just us," she comments.

"Room for pups!" the realtor replies, desperately trying to get rid of this property.

Both Chuck and Negan stop themselves from glaring at the young beta woman. It seems like the second people know they're a newly mated pair, all they think about is "when are you having children?" It's annoying for both of them.

Negan turns back to Chuck. "Maybe you're right."

"It would be beautiful to the right buyers," Chuck mentions to the realtor diplomatically. "People who are good at renovating, anyway."

After a few more days and a few more houses that didn't quite fit for them, they travel up to Alexandria to look at the available houses in the little community that Rick lives in. They turn off the main road and drive a ways before they come to a nice sign saying "Welcome to Monroe Estates." As they drive past the sign and further in, they see beautiful manicured lawns sitting in front of perfect suburban homes.

"This looks really nice," Chuck mentions as she looks out the window.

They pass a row of townhouses, which Negan sneers at. "I don't like that shit. What's the point of living in the goddamn suburbs if you're gonna have to share your fuckin' walls and have a small ass yard."

Chuck points off to the right. "Those houses have big yards."

"That's more like it."

They continue on to the address the realtor sent them, pulling up to the fairly large gray sided house with a raised front porch. They get out of the car and meet the realtor at the door.

"Hello!" the cheery beta male greets then leads them inside.

"All of the houses in this area were built within the last ten years and I helped sell every single one of them," he explains happily. "In that time, Alexandria has really blossomed into a tight knit community. But it's still close to various shops, including grocery stores and markets and also a very good school district."

"I actually know someone here," Negan comments. "Rick Grimes."

"The sheriff, right?"

"That's the one."

"He's just a few houses down."

The realtor goes over all the details of the home, three bedrooms, two and a half baths, hard wood flooring, granite counters, two car garage. The more Chuck and Negan see, the more excited they get. When the realtor steps out to allow them the chance to talk, they instantly turn to each other and speak at the same time.

"I fuckin' love it."

"This is the one."

They both smile at each other.

"You really like it?" Negan asks.

"Yeah. I do. I love the whole neighborhood. And this house is perfect. As long as the price is right, I guess."

"Don't worry about that," he's quick to say

"I don't want to start out our lives swimming in debt. I still have student loans to pay off."

He pulls her into him by the hips. "I have savings enough to make a hefty down payment. And you're gonna start your new job as soon as you get that fuckin' cast off in a few days."

She gives him a little kiss. "And _you're_ gonna see about getting a job at one of those schools that guy mentioned."

He nods with a little smirk on his face. "I will. But the school year already started, so I'm not gonna get my fuckin' hopes up."

She shrugs a shoulder. "Maybe something will open up. You never know."

"I'd be further ahead going into town and getting a job at that fuckin' grocery store he mentioned."

She giggles. "Be a bag boy?"

"I'd own that shit. Best damn bag boy ever."

She laughs more loudly. "You'd help old ladies carry their groceries to the car?"

"Old ladies fuckin' love me," he comments with all of his confidence.

"Maybe you could get tips," she jokes. "Show them some leg."

"Shit yeah! We'd have this house paid off in no time."

When the realtor comes back in, he finds the pair giggling in each other's arms. "What are we thinking?" he asks. "I can show you a unit in the town houses."

"No." Negan lets go of Chuck to turn to the man. "We'll take this one."

After going over all the pertinent details, they start to get the ball rolling on the paperwork. They won't be able to move in until after the new year in a few weeks, but that doesn't matter to them. All either of them can think about is that they are one step closer to making a new life together.


	15. Part 15

Negan glances at his watch, his impatience growing with every minute. "What the fuck is taking so long?" he mutters.

Chuck, from the seat beside him in the waiting room, lets out a little huff. "Shush. _I'm_ the one that should be cranky. I can't wait to get this cast off so I can use my arm again."

"Your arm's gonna be fuckin' creepy as shit."

Chuck giggles. "What do you mean?"

"It's gonna be all skinny."

"Well, yeah. My muscle is gonna be weak."

"I broke _both_ my arms when I was a fuckin' teenager. Fell out of a goddamn tree."

"Really? How old were you?"

"Fifteen. It was right after I presented alpha and I was being a fuckin' idiot trying to show off."

"I bet that was fun," Chuck jokes.

"Real fuckin' fun. Especially since I got my casts off at the beginning of summer so I had to walk around with two spindly ass arms on display. Unless I wanted to wear fuckin' sweaters in 100 degree weather."

Chuck laughs. "Poor boy," she jokes sarcastically.

"Thanks for the support," he throws back.

She chuckles at his response. "Oh, I'm sure you did just fine in high school. Even with spindly arms, you still have this face." She squeezes at his chin. "I bet your dance card was still full."

He laughs. "'Dance card'? When did you turn sixty?" he jokes.

She slaps his knee as she giggles. "It's better than saying you got around."

He puts his hand to his chest in fake offense. "How dare you."

A nurse peeks her head into the waiting room, interrupting the couple. "Charlotte? This way, please."

Over the next week, Chuck gets used to having full range of motion in her left arm again. The doctor had given her some exercises to do to get her strength up, which she does diligently. Being in the cast for six weeks had left her fairly stiff, which isn't ideal for her new employment.

Chuck had found a job similar to what she did at Ad Astra. The only real difference is that instead of going into the office once a month, she's expected to video chat with the rest of her team every week. Given her experience at her last job, she's a little relieved to be able to stay at home this time around.

Despite working from the comforts of home, typing for a few hours at a time leaves her wrist sore. The doctor told her that would get better in time, once her muscles get stronger in her left arm. At the moment, though, it's rather annoying.

She gets a little break from her work when the bank calls to have her and Negan go over some paperwork for the house. With the money Negan had saved plus some of Chuck's severance from Ad Astra, they make a pretty hefty down payment. It doesn't cover the entire cost, though. They still need to take out a loan for the difference, but it's completely manageable. Especially if Negan starts teaching again.

"So?" Chuck asks expectantly as Negan enters her apartment.

"So?" he repeats, pretending he doesn't know why she's asking. Of course, he does. He had just been on the phone with Alexandria High School about possibly getting a job.

She walks over to him. "What did they say?"

"They said they'd talk to me after New Years."

She scrunches up her face. "That's it?"

"Yup." He walks over to the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of water.

"So... what does that mean?"

He takes a drink, wiping his mouth before answering. "They're not gonna fuckin' talk to me until after the holidays, I guess," he reiterates.

She rolls her eyes. "I mean, was that a 'don't call us, we'll call you' kinda thing? Or did they sound hopeful?"

He puts the water away and turns to Chuck, pulling her into him by the hips. "It was a 'you caught us right before Christmas break and we don't wanna fuckin' be here a minute longer, so this is gonna wait 'til after we get back' kinda thing." He gives her a kiss and a smirk. "It'll be fuckin' fine, baby girl. If they don't want me, I'll look around."

"Alexandria High School would be perfect, though. It's only a fifteen minute drive from the house."

"You know what?" He kisses her again. "I'm thinkin' I'd make a good fuckin' house husband. Just sit on my ass all day and let you take care of me," he announces in fake seriousness.

She gasps, feigning shock. "In this economy?!" she jokes back.

He laughs. "You're right. We're in fuckin' debt, as it is."

"The house'll be paid off in a few years, though," she replies more seriously. "We're starting off better than a lot of people."

"You know what? When the mortgage is paid off, you can quit your job and for the rest of our days, _I_ can take care of _your_ fine ass." He punctuates his point by grabbing that particular part of her body.

She giggles. "Negan!"

"What?" he replies as innocently as he can.

She pushes him away a little. "Since you sorta mentioned the holidays... This is gonna be our first Christmas together," she changes the subject.

He gives her a smirk. "It will be."

"Well, I don't want you to get me a gift."

He raises his eyebrows in question. "You don't?"

"No. With the house and all... That's gift enough for me."

He gives a little shrug, knowing full well that he already has a present for her. "So we're not giving gifts this year?" He really doesn't care if she gets him anything or not. Even if Chuck never gives him a single gift, he'd still be happy just being with her.

"Yeah," Chuck agrees, even though the gift she bought for Negan is already sitting in Aaron's garage waiting for Christmas morning to come. "No gifts this year."

When Christmas Eve comes, Chuck and Negan head out to Aaron's to spend the holiday with him and Diane. After his house was cleared as a crime scene after the whole Eldritch thing, he remodeled the living room with new floors and all new furniture to get rid of the memories of the event. He thought of selling the place outright, but he couldn't go through with it. That was the home he had built with Eric, after all. Besides, Chuck and Negan told him that they didn't want him to sell.

As Chuck and Negan pull up to the house, Aaron and Diane meet them at the door.

"Hello!" Diane calls out and brings Chuck in for a tight hug.

"Uh." Chuck returns the hug. "It hasn't been that long since you've seen me."

Diane pulls away. "No, but..." She gives a quick look to Negan. "I'm just excited about Christmas!"

Negan bends down to give Diane a quick hug. "Reel it in," he whispers into her ear so Chuck won't hear.

Once they enter the house, Chuck and Negan take their bags into the guest room then meet Diane and Aaron in the living room.

"The place looks fuckin' great, Aaron," Negan comments.

"Thanks. It just needed... new energy, I guess," Aaron replies.

Diane jumps in. "You guys are sure you're okay staying here? We can do this at my house this year."

"Mom, we're fine," Chuck answers. "If we weren't, we would have told you already. Besides," she looks over to Aaron, "it's our first Christmas without Eric. I want to spend it here."

Aaron walks over to Chuck and gives her a hug. "Thanks, Chucky," he whispers into her hair.

They all visit for a little bit in the living room before Aaron stands. "Well," he stretches out his arms above his head, "I guess I better go get the pizza." He grabs his keys and heads out.

"Pizza?" Negan asks to the two women in the room.

"It's our Christmas Eve tradition," Chuck answers. "We always get pizza, look through old pictures, then go to bed to wait for Santa to come."

Negan bites back the dirty joke that pops into his head about hoping that Santa gets to cum tonight. "So I'm gonna get to look at baby pictures?" he says instead.

"I should've asked you to bring your old pictures, so you can join in on the embarrassment," Chuck comments.

"Don't have a lot of pictures, really. My parents weren't the type to document all my birthdays and shit."

"Are they still with us?" Diane asks.

Chuck knew a little about Negan's parents, but it wasn't a subject that he brought up freely most of the time. She wonders how Negan will react to her mother asking about them.

"My folks?" Negan shakes his head. "No. My mom died when I was a teenager and my father died a few years ago.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Diane comments.

"I'm not," Negan says simply. "I mean, I loved my mom, but my father was a violent son of a bitch. One of those alphas that thought they owned everyone and every fuckin' thing under them." He shakes his head. "I wish he had fuckin' died first."

"Your mother was omega?" Diane assumes this to be true, since most betas can't get pregnant with an alpha. It's not impossible, but it's unlikely.

"Yeah. She was omega. The submissive omega that never raised a hand in her own defense," he says bitterly. "My father beat all the goddamn fight outta her."

Chuck lays her hand on his knee. "You don't have to talk about it if it hurts."

"There's not really much more to tell." He looks over to Diane. "I left home at eighteen and never looked back. I _promised_ myself I wouldn't be the kind of alpha my fuckin' father was and I intend on keeping that fuckin' promise."

Diane nods. "I know you're not like that, Negan."

Once Aaron comes back with the pizza, they sit down on the floor of the living room to eat as they watch classic Christmas movies. Once the pictures come out, they all gather around so everyone can see.

"Oh my god," Negan calls out when Diane shows him one of Chuck's newborn pictures. "Look at that fuckin' red hair!"

"She's always had a head full of hair," Diane comments. "It was such a pain in the ass when she was little and I'd have to try to comb out the rat's nests."

"That's why I cut it off short."

"Oh yeah." Negan grabs a lock of her hair, which is well pas her shoulders now. "Your hair _was_ a lot shorter when we met." He pauses. "Well, not 'met', I guess."

"When I went crazy and made my presence known, you mean."

"You didn't go crazy. I fuckin' deserved that shit, anyways. I was a dick."

"Don't bring that stuff up or I'll have to get mad at you again," Diane half jokes.

Negan holds his hands up in surrender.

"This is my favorite picture of Uncle Aaron!" Chuck points to a picture of Aaron as a chubby teenager with a horrible bowl cut, wearing short shorts and a neon T-shirt.

"Oh god," he groans in embarrassment. "That was before puberty," he explains to Negan. "Like a year after that I grew into my weight. And started picking out better clothes."

Negan chuckles. "Adolescence is fuckin' awful for everyone."

The three other people all shoot Negan a look of disbelief.

"Really?" Chuck questions. "You couldn't possibly have been that bad," she points to the picture of Aaron, "before you presented as alpha."

Aaron scoffs. "Thanks, Chucky."

She giggles. "I'm just saying, Negan's like the best looking man." She looks to him. "I bet you came out of the womb ruggedly handsome."

He laughs. "I had some awkward years. Braces, pimples, all that."

Diane turns to a picture of Chuck when she was thirteen, hair in a messy pony tail, wearing a T-shirt with kittens on it and pink cotton shorts standing beside one of her classmates that always looked like she stepped right out of a catalog.

Chuck groans. "Thanks, Mom, for punctuating my point. How did I even leave the house back then?"

"You're fuckin' adorable. How old are you there?"

"Thirteen."

"Shit, really? I thought you were like nine there."

Diane adds, "The girl next to her is thirteen, too."

Negan looks surprised. "Are you fuckin' kidding me? I thought that was like a twenty year old babysitter."

"Yeah. That's how, like, all the girls were in my class, all makeup and abercrombie clothes. Meanwhile, when I was a senior, everyone thought I was a freshman."

"At least you didn't get pregnant in high school like some of your classmates," Aaron comments.

"I guess. But I also sat out my prom to have a Lord of the Rings marathon, so..." She shrugs a shoulder.

As the night moves on, Diane and Aaron go to bed, leaving Chuck and Negan curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace.

He squeezes her into him more. "I cannot fuckin' wait to sit by our own fireplace in our own house."

She snuggles into him. "Me, too."

"I was thinking... no offense, but my mattress is a lot fuckin' better than yours and it's only like a year old. I think we can use that and my bed frame for our room."

"Oh, yeah. I agree. My bed can go in one of the spare bedrooms."

"And we can turn the extra room into an fuckin' study. Since you work from home, you need a fuckin' proper place to do it."

"That sounds good."

"And I'm gonna get you a proper fuckin' chair. That shitty ass thing you sit on now has to fuckin' wreck your back."

She giggles. "I've had that chair since college!"

"Exactly. You need one of those ergonomic, lumbar support chairs. Real leather and shit."

"Have you ever bought a nice office chair? They're crazy expensive."

"That's what my baby needs."

She laughs. "I don't need a thousand dollar chair when mine works just fine."

He pulls her in to kiss her. "Only the best for my mate."

"Oh, I see." She pulls back and gives him a raised eyebrow. "This is an alpha thing," she says without complete seriousness.

"An alpha thing?"

"You gotta be the best provider."

"Damn right. How is that a bad thing?"

"It's not a bad thing. It's just," she shrugs, "you alphas are weird."

He chuckles. "Weird?"

"Yeah. I guess." She shakes her head. "I don't know. Wanting to protect someone, provide for someone as much as you do... It just seems so foreign to me."

"Because you've never had anyone take care of you before. That doesn't mean you don't fuckin' deserve it."

She smiles. "It _is_ nice, though." She cuddles back into his side and closes her eyes in relaxation.

Negan glances at his watch. Four minutes until midnight. "Don't fall asleep on me."

She giggles, though she doesn't open her eyes. "Stop being so warm then."

"Aren't I getting any tonight?"

She laughs. "Absolutely not."

"Why not? It's Christmas."

"Because we're in the same house as my mom and uncle and I'm not risking them hearing us."

"Fair enough." He looks at his watch again. It's time. "Do you hear that?"

"Mm?" She doesn't even lift her head.

He shoves his hand in his pocket and pulls out what's inside. "Sounds like... hooves on the roof," he continues.

She giggles, choosing to go along with it. "Is Santa here?" When she opens her eyes, she sees Negan's hand close to her face, his pointer finger and thumb delicately holding onto a gorgeous diamond ring. She instantly sits up straight to get a better look at it. "Negan," she gasps.

Holding the ring out to her more, he swallows hard as his heart rate actually picks up a little. "I know this is a little unnecessary, since we're already fuckin' mated, but I wanted to do this." He pushes off of the couch and gets on one knee in front of Chuck. "Will you marry me?"

Her eyes focus on the simple platinum ring, one round diamond set by four prongs accented by two small bead set diamonds on each side of it. She's utterly gobsmacked, having not even an inkling that this would happen.

Her silence has Negan actually getting more nervous. "The ring was my grandmother's. My mom's mom," he explains. "My mother always hid it away from my father. I, uh, asked your mom if you'd like it. She said you would."

Chuck continues to stare, unable to voice what she's feeling.

"If you don't like it, I can by you a new one. We can pick it out-"

"It's beautiful," she blurts out, tears welling up in her eyes. "I love it."

He lets out a sigh of relief. "You do? It's not too simple?"

"You know me; I'm not flashy." She takes the ring from his hand and slips it on her left ring finger before he can do it himself. "It's absolutely perfect." Her genuine smile lights up her entire face.

"Fuck, I'm so glad you like it." He pulls her chin toward him gently to kiss her. "Merry Christmas, baby girl," he whispers into her lips.

The next morning, before Chuck and Negan can even sit down for breakfast, Diane grabs at Chuck's hand to see the ring.

"It's even more beautiful on her hand!" she practically squeals.

"God, Di," Aaron chides. "You're acting like you didn't know this was gonna happen."

Chuck looks to Negan, her hand still being clutched by her mother. "When did you tell them?"

"Right after we saw the house. I wasn't fuckin' sure if I should buy a new ring or give you that one."

"I told him the antique was more romantic," Diane explains. "And it's perfect." She throws her arms around Chuck and squeezes her. "I know you're already legally mates, but I'm so excited to see you walk down the aisle."

"You never thought that would ever happen, did you?" Chuck jokes.

Diane pulls back. "I always knew the right man would come along." She walks over to Negan and wraps him in a hug, too.

Negan returns it happily, loving how accepted he feels into Chuck's family. It's in stark contrast to how Lucille's family treated him. Her parents hated him from the get and never warmed up to him. Ten years of marriage to their daughter and neither of them ever hugged him. Not once. And holidays? Those were just awkward dinners, no traditions, no laughs, and they barely even included him.

He tried for years to impress them. Instead of using that old ring of his grandmother's, he went into debt buying Lucille a big rock, hoping her parents would finally see that he would be a good mate for her. But they never did. And in the end, Negan supposes they were right. The infidelities, all the times he left her alone, not seeing that she was sick sooner...

Aaron's voice breaks Negan out of his thoughts. "Breakfast is ready."

After they sit down to eat, they move into the living room to sit in front of the tree for presents. Chuck and Negan mostly get things for the house from Diane and Aaron, which is practical. There are a few fun gifts, though. A nice bottle of scotch for Negan from Aaron, a Game Stop gift card for Chuck, some books and movies, too.

When all the packages are opened and the ripped up wrapping paper is cleared Chuck breaks the silence. It's time to reveal her own surprise.

"I think I might've overheard Santa last night saying he left a present in the garage," she continues the joke from the night before.

Negan smiles. "Is that so?"

"We'll have to see." Chuck can't help but smirk. "I don't know who it's for so we'll have to find out."

Negan chuckles, knowing full well that whatever is out there is going to be for him. "Well, let's go see."

The four of them go out to the garage where there's a large wrapped box in the middle of the floor. There's a large tag hanging off the corner that says "To Negan From Santa".

"Looks like it's for me," he says, acting like he didn't already know that it would be.

Aaron clears his throat. "Santa might have mentioned that you just need to lift the box instead of open it."

Negan laughs a little. "Alright."

"I'll help." Chuck gets on one side of the box and Negan takes the opposite. "Alright. One, two, three." They lift the box up and toss it to the side so Negan can take a good look at what was concealed underneath.

"Holy shit." Negan's eyes scan the body of the 1971 FX Superglide Harley Davidson before him. It's not in pristine shape, but it still looks gorgeous to him. "Holy fuck."

"Me and Mom tried to find your old one, but we don't know what happened to it," Chuck starts to explain. "Me and Aaron found this one, though. I thought you could work on it like you did before. Make it your own."

"The frame's in real good shape," Aaron jumps in. "It needs a lot of work, though. I can help you rebuild it. If you want. Unless you want it to be _your_ project..."

"That sounds fuckin' amazing!" Negan responds immediately. "We can totally work on it together," he adds with a huge smile on his face.

"You like it?" Chuck asks.

"Are you kidding me?! I fuckin' love it!"

Diane clasps her hands to her chest. "Oh, I'm so happy you like it."

The realization suddenly dawns on Negan. "You all did this for me?" he asks to the trio in the room.

"Chuck came to us about a couple months ago," Diane starts. "She wanted to get you a bike but she didn't know where to start."

Aaron adds, "We were all looking for the perfect one for a while. I drove up to Pennsylvania to pick this one up a few weeks ago."

Negan swallows hard for a few moments trying to rid himself of the lump in his throat. "No one's ever done anything this fuckin' nice for me before."

Aaron pats him on the shoulder. "You're family now. And we take care of our family."

Negan just nods, afraid that if he'd speak again, his voice would give away his emotions.

Chuck can feel it, though. It's confusing, like a bunch of feelings all jumbled up together. Considering Negan usually isn't very emotional on any given day, Chuck is mostly used to just feeling contentment around him.

She grabs his hand and squeezes it. He action causes him to turn his head to look at her. Once he sees her smiling face, he can't help but smile back.

"Are you okay?" she whispers.

"I'm so fuckin' good." He wraps her in a tight hug and all they both can feel is love.

After dinner, (which Negan felt compelled to do most of the work for) the family gathers in the living room.

"Are we playing Risk now, cuz I can't fuckin' wait to kick everyone's asses," Negan calls out.

Diane throws him a look. "You know what comes first."

He was hoping they'd skip this part. "You don't want me fuckin' singing. Besides, singing around you guys is like playing fuckin' basketball with Michael Jordan."

They all laugh.

Chuck swats at his arm. "We're only good because we sing a lot. You just need to practice. Besides, you had fun at Thanksgiving."

"I'll grab the guitars." Aaron disappears then re-enters with a guitar in each hand. "Who wants it?" He looks between Chuck and Diane.

Chuck stands to take the offered guitar. "I know a song Negan knows."

"You're not fuckin' helping me, here," he says to her. "You're supposed to play something I don't know, so I have a goddamn excuse."

Chuck laughs as she tunes the guitar. "I like your voice." She strums the guitar once and starts to sing. "So. So you think you can tell."

Aaron and Diane join in. "Heaven from Hell. Blue skies from pain."

Negan just nods. "That's a good song." Reluctantly, he joins in. And he does have fun, though some of the time he just mouths the words so he can hear them sing, not wanting his own voice to ruin the harmonies.

After a few more songs, they sit down at the dining room table to play Risk.

"Chuck wins every year," Diane informs Negan. "Just so you know."

"Well, she's never played me," He replies cockily.

"I'd never take you for a board game type," Aaron comments after he takes his turn.

"Risk is the shit," Negan replies. "I used to hustle people with it in college for beer money."

"Really?" Chuck giggles.

"Yeah. All the nerds would think I didn't know my shit because I was an athlete, I guess. But I showed 'em." He finishes his turn. "It's about fuckin' strategy and I'm all about that shit. Like chess. You gotta plan shit out. Read your opponent. I won my fair share of money at chess, too. And table tennis. No one ever thinks anyone will actually take ping pong seriously." He laughs to himself at the memories. "Shit, I hustled a lot of money back then."

"You would've hustled me, for sure," Chuck comments. "I never would've thought you'd be good at this just by looking at you."

"I wouldn't have hustled you. I only went after the assholes that thought they were top shit."

Aaron scoffs. "Chuck's pretty cocky about this."

"With _you_ guys," she explains. "I would _never_ be this cocky with strangers. Especially in college."

As the game progresses, it becomes apparent that Chuck and Negan are fairly evenly matched. A few bad rolls of the dice by Chuck has Negan clenching the victory, though.

"Did Chuck just lose?" Diane exclaims with a laugh. "She's never lost!"

Chuck rolls her eyes. "Whatever. I guess I can't win them all."

"Especially against me," Negan rubs it in.

"It was a fluke," Chuck bites back in a teasing way. "Best two outta three."

"It's getting late, sweetie." Diane stands from her seat. "And I gotta be at work early tomorrow. I'm gonna get ready to head out."

"Yeah. It's getting late," Negan agrees with a smug look on his face.

Chuck shakes her head, knowing that Negan just wants to leave the victor. "Fine," Chuck concedes. "I guess we should get going, too."

Chuck and Negan pack their things and say their goodbyes to Diane and Aaron. A couple hours later and they're laying in Negan's bed, ready to go to sleep.

"Did you have a nice Christmas?" Chuck whispers into Negan's chest as he holds her to him.

"That might've been the best fuckin' Christmas I've ever had."

"Even though my family has crazy traditions?"

"They're not crazy. I kinda love all that shit. And I cannot fuckin' _wait_ 'til we get our own garage so I can start working on that bike."

Chuck giggles. "Aaron was excited looking at motorcycles again. I wouldn't be surprised if he buys his own to fix up."

"Shit, I'd ride with him. Absolutely."

"That can be, like, your guys' thing."

Negan smiles. "Your uncle's a good guy. I wouldn't fuckin' mind hanging out with him at all."

"I'm glad you guys get along."

They're quiet for a few moments. "You know," Negan breaks the silence, "you kinda promised we'd get our fuck on when we got home."

She laughs at him. "Is that how that conversation went?" he replies sarcastically.

"Pretty sure it was." He's not really being serious, though he certainly wouldn't turn down sex.

Though Chuck is teasing him a little, she has something particular in mind. "Well," she trails her hand down his bare torso, "if you insist." She slides her fingers under the waistband of his boxers to wrap them around his cock, pumping him slowly as he grows hard.

"Shit," he hisses. "That feels fuckin' good."

Chuck stops her motion to throw the blanket off of the both of them.

Negan groans at the loss of her hand on him as she pulls it away. When she moves down the bed, pulling his boxers completely off, he asks, "What are you doing, sweetheart?"

She places herself between his spread legs, her face hovering above his pelvis. "What do you think?" As she leans her head down, she grasps his cock, leading it to her lips.

"Chuck." He takes her chin in his hand and pulls her face up. "What are you doing?" he asks again, this time more seriously.

She's confused. "You don't want me to..."

"Do _you_ want to do this?"

"Yeah."

"You've never wanted to suck me off before."

"I just," she shrugs a little, "I _want_ to make you feel good. I've just been scared that I don't know what I'm doing." She looks up to him. "But I want to try. Learn how to do it."

The jolt of arousal travels through him before he can even think about it. "Alright," he agrees, trying not to sound eager.

Remembering what the women did in the porn she had watched before, she licks a long stripe over his shaft to the head, placing a kiss right on the tip. She's pretty sure she's not going to be able to deep throat him, so she only takes in the end, using her hand to stroke the base.

"Swirl your tongue, baby," Negan instructs as he snakes his fingers through her hair.

With the pad of her tongue, she caresses the underside of the head, finding a particularly sensitive part.

"Fuck," he groans and inadvertently clenches his fist into her hair. "Shit, sorry."

Since that got a good reaction, she continues doing it until her tongue gets tired.

Negan realizes what's happening and pulls her face away gently. "Spit up your palm and use your hand more."

She does as instructed, stroking him from base to tip with her hand. When she decides to speed up, Negan lets out a low groan. The fact that she's giving him this pleasure brings a smile to her face.

Negan leans up to tug at Chuck's tank top. "Take your shirt off, baby. Let me see you."

She pulls back to lift her shirt over her head, leaving her torso bare for him.

He takes the opportunity to cop a feel before you lays back to rest on his elbow. "Fuck, you got the best tits."

She giggles a little at his praise then takes ahold of him again, his tip now swollen and leaking freely.

"Suck on it, baby girl." He gently leads her head back down to him, trying hard to hold himself from bucking up into her mouth.

Putting her lips back around him, she hollows her cheeks and bobs her head as much as she's able to. What she can't take in, she strokes with her hand, in time with the motion of her head.

Negan throws his head back, his breathing starting to labor. "Oh, fuck, that's good."

Chuck notices when he moves his hand to cup his balls, so she brings her free hand up to replace it. If that's what he likes, then she wants to be the one to do it. Her neck and jaw are starting to tire again, but she pushes through, wanting to get him to his end.

"Shit, I'm almost there," he groans with his eyes shut tightly and his brows pinched together.

As soon as Chuck feels him twitch, she pulls her mouth off of him, continuing to stroke him through his orgasm with both hands, milking him of everything that he has.

"Fuuuuck." He takes in a deep breath. "Shit, that was awesome."

She giggles at his breathless voice. "It was?" She wanted it to be good for him, so she's happy that he enjoyed himself.

"Yeah, baby girl." He pulls her up to lay beside him and gives her a smirk. "But now it's your turn."

Just over a week later, Chuck and Negan move into their new house in Alexandria. With their rented moving van, they get all of their belongings into their new home. Most of Negan's furniture is much better quality than Chuck's, so they use his table and chairs for the dining room, his couch and arm chairs for the living room, and his bed for the master bedroom upstairs. Chuck's bed goes to one of the guest rooms and their pair of desks go to the spare room as an office/study along with Chuck's couch. Chuck's tv goes in the living room, with Negan's smaller one taking up residence in the study. Overall, they don't really end up with a bunch of extra stuff somehow, just one microwave, Chuck's kitchen table and chairs, and a coffee table, which all get sold to some college kids.

Aaron and Diane stop by in the afternoon to lend a hand, which makes the task of getting all that stuff situated a little easier. When dinner time comes, Rick, Michonne, and Rick's son Carl stop by with pizza for everyone. The food is certainly welcome, considering everyone has worked up an appetite getting everything moved in. By the time everyone leaves and Chuck and Negan actually get into bed, they're pretty much asleep before their heads hit the pillow.

The next morning, Chuck wakes up to the smell of bacon, coffee, and waffles wafting up the stairs. She makes her way to the first floor, through the living room, and into the kitchen where Negan is standing at the counter in front of the waffle maker.

"This shit's almost done. Go sit down _in the dining room_ ," he stresses.

Chuck giggles as she hugs him from behind. "We have our own dining room," she marvels.

"We sure fuckin' do," he responds with a grin, ear to ear.

A few days later, Negan makes the short drive to Alexandria High School to meet with the principal, a woman named Joanne Delaney. They had talked on the phone before, but now it's time for a face to face meeting. He's led through the halls and to her office.

"Sit, Mr. Negan." The beta in her early sixties holds her hand out to one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"Just 'Negan' is fine." He unbuttons his suit jacket and takes his seat.

"You can call me Jo." She smiles warmly at him. "I contacted Massapontax High and they gave you a glowing recommendation."

"That's fuckin' good to hear."

She looks at him completely serious. "You know, I was warned about your colorful language."

 _Oh shit_ Negan thinks. He had done so well to keep it in check on the phone with this woman, but he pretty much immediately fucked it up in her presence.

Jo can't keep up the ruse and her expression breaks into a smile. "You know, ten years ago, I wouldn't have even met with you because of that. But I'm old now. I've spouted off my fair share of four letter words."

Negan lets out a sigh of relief. "I was about ready to say I'd try my best to be a boy scout, there."

She chuckles. "Well, I like you, Negan, and you're good on paper. Unfortunately, we don't have any place to put you this year."

He nods sadly. "I figured as much."

" _Fortunately_ , however," she adds, "our current gym teacher is set to retire at the end of the year. So if you want the position, it will be yours next fall."

"Yeah!" he agrees enthusiastically. "Of course I want it!"

"Until then, would you consider being a substitute? We are very low on substitute teachers right now and that'd be a great way for you to get back into the swing of things. You've been out of the game for a decade."

Negan is all smiles. "Yeah, of course I'd come in when you needed me."

She nods, then clears her throat nervously. "Could I ask you a more personal question?"

"Uh, sure."

"Why _did_ you walk away from teaching? All I heard was how great you were at your job. How much the kids loved you."

He lets out a soft huff, not exactly wanting to go over this. "My wife died. It, uh... I ran away from shit after that. For a long time."

Jo nods in understanding. "I lost my husband a few years ago. I took a year to myself. I thought about retiring, but I found that I really wasn't ready to hang this all up yet."

"Yeah," he chuckles a little at himself, "I needed a nudge in the right direction, I guess."

"Whatever got you here, I think you're going to be a great addition in our physical education department. I do have to add, though, that our baseball coach is here to stay. I know you coached at your old school."

"That's fine, really. I'm just fuckin' excited to start teaching."

She stands and extends her hand. "Welcome aboard."

Negan parrots the action and shakes her hand. "Thank you for this."

She leads him to her door. "We'll call you about the substitute teaching. Probably in a few weeks."

"I'm ready whenever you need me."

The entire ride home, Negan can't help but smile as he thinks about teaching again. Sure, he made good money at the dealership, but that was literally the only good thing about it. When he was teaching, he was able to see the impact he made in those kids' lives. He used to live for that. And the prospect that he'd be able to do that again has him positively giddy.

When Chuck hears the garage door open, she knows the Negan is home. She jumps up from the couch to wait for him at the door that leads to the garage. Once he comes through the door, she greets him with a kiss.

"Well?" she asks expectantly.

He shrugs, trying to act disappointed. "There's no fuckin' openings this year."

"Oh." She gives him a hug. "I'm sorry."

He holds onto her like he needs the comfort. "But I'm hired for next year," he adds on quietly.

She pushes back immediately to look at his face. "What!?"

"Yup." He smiles wide. "The phys ed teacher is fuckin' retiring this year. _And_ I'm gonna substitute for the rest of the year."

She slaps him on the arm. "You had me worried."

He pulls her in for another hug. "I know. But shit worked out."

"I'm so happy, Negan."

He kisses her on the head. "Me, too."

They settle in more to their new community in the coming days, talking to new neighbors, visiting the shops in town, and familiarizing themselves with the rules of the homeowners association (since Negan is excited to work on the yard when spring comes.)

One day, Negan and Chuck head to the grocery store to restock their pantry. As they peruse the aisles leisurely, they check off the items on their list.

"We need your cereal," Negan says with a smirk.

"Don't even act like you didn't eat any of the Froot Loops we had."

He just shrugs and turns down the aisle. They see a short woman in her mid thirties struggling to stretch up to grab the Raisin Bran she wants.

"Need some help there, honey?" Negan asks.

The beta woman turns around and gives him a smile. "Oh, yes. If you could, please."

As Negan easily picks the box up from the shelf, the woman only has eyes for him. It makes Chuck want to roll her eyes at the way she's blatantly checking him out.

"There you go." He hands the box to the woman.

"Oh, thank you so much!" She places her hand on his arm.

Now Chuck really does roll her eyes.

"Don't worry about it." Negan gives the beta a smile and moves back behind his cart.

Chuck quickly finds what cereal she wants and drops it in with the rest of their groceries. "Alright. What's next on the list?"

"Meat," Negan answers.

When they step up to the busy deli counter, Negan groans.

"Of course the line is fuckin' backed up." He rolls his eyes then turns to Chuck. "Why don't you just take the cart and get the rest of the shit while I wait here."

"Alright." She takes the cart and heads off to pick up some produce.

After several minutes of looking for what she needs, she hears someone come up behind her.

"Charlotte?" the male voice says.

She turns around and sees Casey, one of the alphas from Alpha for You she met with all those months ago.

"Casey?" is all she can think to say.

"Yeah. That's me. Was it 'Chuck' you went by?"

"Oh yeah. Chuck."

"I remembered it was an unusual nickname. How have you been?" He asks politely.

"I've been good," she answers, not wanting to go over all the craziness she has actually been through.

"I guess I know why you never called any of us." He points to her neck and the faint mating scar there.

She giggles a little. "Yeah. I met my mate, so..." She laughs nervously, not really knowing what to say.

"Well, that's great!" he responds genuinely.

"Thanks." She smiles at him. "I'm sure you guys were _veerrry_ upset I didn't require any of your services," she jokes sarcastically.

He laughs. "Actually, I _was_ a little disappointed. With your illness, of however you want to call it, I wanted to help you. But I'm happy you found your mate. That's really awesome!"

"That's really nice of you to say."

Even though Casey is an alpha, he's not your typical one. At 6' even, he's an inch or two shorter than average and where alphas are typically muscular, he's a little more doughy. He also has a gentleness that alphas don't usually possess. Casey is just a genuinely nice guy.

If Negan hadn't been there for Chuck, she would have chosen Casey to get her through her heats. She's not exactly attracted to him, but his soft demeanor put her at ease more than any of the other alphas.

"So what brings you up here from Charlottesville?" he asks.

"I live in Alexandria now. My mate and I moved in a few weeks ago."

"Small world! I grew up in Alexandria. My mom still lives there. I like to visit her a couple times a month and make her dinner." He holds up the half full basket in his hand. "I just needed to pick up an onion."

Chuck looks back to the shelf behind her and the varieties of onions there. "Oh." She moves away to give him the space to pick what he wants. "Sorry."

"No. No. It's alright." He chuckles. "I've enjoyed catching up with you."

As Chuck turns back to Casey, she can see just over his shoulder that Negan is approaching them. And he doesn't look happy. "Negan," she calls out, hoping that maybe the oncoming interaction will be much friendlier than she thinks it might be.

The man in question continues on his trajectory, swiftly putting himself between his mate and this new alpha, glaring at him all the while.

Casey takes a few steps back and puts his hands up in a placating motion. "We were just talking," he says quickly, recognizing the look on this alpha's face.

Chuck steps out from behind Negan, hoping to calm this situation. "Negan, this is Casey."

"I know who the fuck he is," he bites back. He recognized his scent almost immediately as one of the alphas that Chuck had in her apartment. "He's an alpha whore."

"Negan," Chuck chides, fully mortified that he is acting this way.

"It's okay," Casey replies diplomatically. "I get it. I'm a strange alpha around your mate," he says to Negan. "But you don't have anything to worry about. I'm actually in a committed relationship."

"You expect me to believe that would fuckin' stop you." Negan takes a step toward the other alpha.

Chuck grabs ahold of Negan's arm and tugs him back. "Stop. Everything's fine. Let's just pay and leave."

With a final growl in Casey's direction, Negan turns to Chuck. "Fine. We're leaving."

Thankfully, there's not much of a wait at the checkout lines, so they get their groceries paid for and bagged up pretty quickly, though the air is tense between the two of them. Once they're out in the car alone, they let it all out.

"You're fuckin' pissed at me," Negan comments.

"Yeah. I am," Chuck bites back.

He turns as much as he can in the driver's seat to face her. "Well what the fuck did you expect me to do?"

" _Not_ be a dick about it. Casey didn't deserve that."

"Oh, _didn't_ he?"

"No. He didn't. He's just a nice guy that was being friendly." She lets out a huff. "Besides, did I say anything when that woman was flirting with you?"

He scrunches up his face in confusion. "What woman?"

"The Raisin Bran woman! And you didn't do much to tell her off, either."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah!"

"That's different and you know it!"

"You're right. It _is_ different. Because Casey was just being friendly and Miss Raisin Bran was checking you out!"

"Women are gonna flirt with me, Chuck. I can't fuckin' stop them!"

"And men are gonna talk to me!"

"I don't give a shit if men talk to you, but I sure as fuck care if _alphas_ come sniffing around. Do I have to remind you what happened with the last alpha that had an interest in you?"

Chuck is taken aback that Negan would bring Eldritch up this. "Really, Negan?" she responds almost sarcastically.

He lets out a heavy breath and scrubs his hand down his face. "I'm sorry. That was fucked up."

"Yeah. It was."

Negan reaches over to take her hand in his. "I fuckin' worry, okay? I worry about keeping you safe."

"It's okay to want me safe, but you gotta be sensible about it. Nothing is going to happen in a grocery store in the middle of the day."

"Yeah. I know," he admits as he hangs his head.

"Is this really just about... you being scared that something might happen again? Or is it... alpha stuff?"

He looks over to her. "Alpha stuff?"

"You know. Alpha..." She doesn't know how to say it, though he figures it out on his own.

"Possessive?" he completes her thought.

"Yeah."

"You know I would never hurt you."

"I know, but..."

He shakes his head. "You are _my_ mate. So, yeah, I guess I'm a little possessive. But I'm not gonna fuckin' lock you up or keep you home as a goddamn brood whore. Or anything else fuckin' knothead alphas you see on the news do to their mates. I just..." He lets out a breath. "I overreacted. He was the first alpha to be around you since..." He shakes his head. "And we've only been mated for two months. You know the doc said shit could be more intense before we go through our first cycle."

"Yeah. But I don't want us getting a reputation around town already."

He brings her hand up to his moth to place a kiss on her knuckles. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again, baby girl."

"You'll keep your alpha in check?"

He chuckles. "I will certainly fuckin' try."

"Okay." She leans over to kiss him. "Let's get this food home so you can make us dinner."

He laughs as he starts the car. "You're fuckin' helping me."

She giggles. "I can supervise. Like management."

"So I do all the work and you still get to eat?"

"Yup."

He gives her a smile. "Sounds good to me."


	16. Part 16

"Lose the tie."

Chuck's voice makes Negan turn from his own reflection in the mirror to the doorway where she stands. "You think?" he asks. "I'm trying to make a good impression here," he replies with a boyish smirk.

She walks over to him and lightly tugs the tie loose from his collar. "The button up and jacket is enough. A tie will just look too formal." She pulls the cloth free and drapes it around her own neck. "And you know those teenagers will want to drop you down a peg if they think you're too serious."

"Fuck. You're right." He smoothes his hands down his chest as he turns back to check himself out in the mirror.

"Are you nervous?"

He gives her a look. "No."

She giggles. "Yes you are! You're nervous about your first day teaching again."

"It's not exactly _teaching_. I'm fuckin' substituting. It's more like goddamn _babysitting_."

"But you're still nervous," she teases.

"My kids loved the shit outta me back in the day. Guarantee those little fuckers at Alexandria High are gonna love me, too."

"I know they will." She leans up to kiss him. "You better get going."

He looks at his watch. "Shit. Yeah."

"At least it's only the last few periods today. Start you off easy to begin with."

"Yeah. I'll see you later, baby."

With a kiss goodbye, Negan heads out of the house and to the school. The teacher he's subbing for is one of the English teachers, so he's directed to her room. As he walks into the classroom before the last bell rings, he sees her sitting at her desk waiting for him. She's a beta, about middle aged with shoulder length graying dark hair and a few extra ponds around the middle.

"Mr. Negan," she greets.

He shakes her hand. "Just Negan is fine."

"Thanks for coming in."

"It's no problem."

She gathers her bags from the desk. "I really don't miss much work," she starts, almost apologetically, "but I'm picking up my cat from the vet. He just got fixed and they aren't open later."

He immediately shelves the joke on his tongue about hoping her pussy feels better. "Don't wanna leave him there overnight. He'll claw your furniture to get back at you when you get him home," he settles on instead.

"Probably." She laughs. "I left instructions on the desk for you. Just have the kids read whatever story I wrote down and tell them we'll discuss it tomorrow."

"Alright then."

As she leaves the room, the kids, all juniors, start to file in. Negan writes his name on the board and waits for everyone to show up. Once the last bell rings, he takes his place at the front of the room, leaning on the podium to address the students.

"Alright. First thing's first, I'm Negan." He points to the board. "Just Negan. Not Mr. Negan or Professor Negan or whatever. Secondly, if I start swearing, are any of y'all gonna go crying to your parents?"

The students all look around at each other but don't say anything to indicate they would.

"Good." Negan walks over to the desk to read over the instructions left for him. "Your teacher wants you guys to read The Yellow Wallpaper so you can talk about it next class. Page 134 in your literature books. I'm gonna read that shit too and I'm a fast fuckin' reader so if you guys start fucking around before I'm done, I'm gonna know that you're not reading your shit."

The kids are taken aback by his language, but it's refreshing for them to hear a teacher speaking that way.

"Any questions before we get this shit started?"

One boy holds up his hand and Negan nods at him to proceed. "Can we say fuck?"

"Does your teacher _usually_ let you say fuck?" Negan counters.

The boy shakes his head.

"Then the answer's no. This is still her fuckin' classroom, so you follow her rules." He points to another raised hand, this one belonging to a girl.

"Are you an alpha?" she asks.

He chuckles a little at her bluntness. "Yup. I'm an alpha. You got any other alpha teachers here?"

The students shake their heads. It's not surprising that there aren't any other alphas here; teaching isn't one of the fields alphas usually gravitate to. But it never bothered Negan before to go against convention. He was a great teacher and he's planning on being one again.

"Well," Negan replies, "then, I'm the only one here. It's not exactly an important distinction, though. I'm a fuckin' teacher, just like all the rest of them." He sits behind the desk and pulls the class's book out to find the story. "Now get reading."

The next two periods go about the same; he answers the same "Are you an alpha?" question two more times then gets the kids to read their assignment. The last class, all seniors, reads several poems, which doesn't take too long to finish.

"Since y'all are finished and we have about twenty minutes left," Negan starts as he looks down at his watch, "why don't you just work on homework or some shit."

One of the boys in the class slowly raises his hand.

"Yes?" Negan calls out to him.

"Are you the Negan than killed the Redhead Killer?" the boy tentatively asks.

As the rest of the students look to Negan for his answer, he lets out a sigh. "Look." He rubs his hand over his chin as she stands from his chair to sit back down on the front of the desk facing the students. "I'm sure you've all fuckin' seen the articles and shit on the internet. Guarantee you've got all the fuckin' information you can already, so you don't need the goddamn play by play from me. But I get it. There's a fuckin' fascination with crime and shit. God knows I know that. I dodged fuckin' reporters for weeks and I never once talked about that day with them. You wanna know why?"

The kids all stare wide eyed at him, waiting for him to finish his thought.

"It's not because I'm ashamed of what I did. Fuck no, I'm not ashamed. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Was it fucked up? Yeah. But I would do anything to make sure my mate is safe. And the law backed me up." He lets out a breath. "No, the reason I never talked about it was because it's none of anyone's fucking business." His voice is stern, but not angry. "That shit that happened was between me, my woman, and a sick piece of shit that shouldn't have been allowed to even _breathe_ the same air we do. And now he doesn't."

The students all look around nervously, like they're being scolded.

"I fuckin' understand. There's not a lot of juicy shit that happens here in the suburbs. Then this fuckin' alpha comes in that was in the goddamn news a few moths ago and you wanna know all about it. But I'm not gonna talk about it. Least of all with you kids. They'd probably fire my ass if I did. And I'd like to _keep_ my job, thank you. Especially since I'm gonna be full time next year. So I'll make a deal. You all respect my privacy when it comes to that particular event in my life and I'll be an open book about everything else." He pauses to look everyone over. "Mostly," he tacks on. "Anything that won't get me fired, anyways."

A girl suddenly speaks up, taking his offer to be open with them seriously. "Are you really mated?"

"Yes," he answers quickly.

"Is she your true mate?" she asks again. "Like-Like they said in the news?"

Negan considers it with a sigh. "It ain't like the Disney movies, but..." He shrugs a little. "I guess we're fuckin' different from most other pairs."

"Are you sad that she's not here right now?"

He scrunches up his face. "I don't have to be around her 24/7," he answers with some attitude. "That's one of those Disney shit things. We can fuckin' be away from each other without falling apart."

"How much do you bench press?" a boy close to him asks. "Since... you're stronger, right?" he adds.

Negan snickers. "Fuck, I don't know. I ain't a superhero; I'm just an alpha."

"Do you go into rut?" another voice calls out.

"Shit, you guys are curious fuckers," he mutters as he scratches the back of his neck. "Yeah, I go into rut, but I'm not gonna go into details, you little pervs. That falls under shit-that-will-get-me-fired."

There are a few giggles across the room.

The questions keep coming. "Do you have any kids?"

"No."

"Why not? Isn't that why you take a mate?"

Negan lets out a little chuckle, though it's not really with humor. "Don't you have any alpha/omega health classes here to get all this info from?"

They shake their heads.

Negan is a little surprised by that. He thought that learning about all the presentations would be in the general curriculum. "Shit. That's kinda fucked up." He wipes his hand over his forehead, thinking that maybe part of his job here should be to set these kids straight with regards to this. "Mated pairs are just like beta couples. They can decide not to have children if they fuckin' want. Or maybe they _can't_ fuckin' have children even if they want to. It fuckin' happens. Mates aren't just fuckin' baby machines like some people might have you believe. We're _people_. We might have stronger urges, but we're fuckin' _people_ first. Just like all of you."

Understanding seems to wash over them, but there is still a sense of confusion there. It's more than likely that these kids haven't really had a lot of experience with alphas or omegas, considering this area is more suburban and less populated than the city. This means that they are a little ignorant of how those groups actually are, instead of just how they are portrayed in the media.

When the final bell rings, the students rush out of the room, ready to get home for the day. As Negan gathers up his things at the desk, he hears a soft knock on the door frame. Raising his head, he sees a good looking beta woman, early thirties, in a pencil skirt and a low cut white blouse. Her dark hair falls around her face in waves, though she makes sure to throw it over one shoulder.

"How was your first day?" she asks as she walks further into the room.

He looks back down to his bag. "It was fuckin' fine."

"I'm Lara. Lara Kline." She holds out her hand for him to shake. "I'm another English teacher. My room's just across the hall."

He accepts her hand and shakes it. "Negan," he greets.

"It's been a while since we've had a new face here. And I hear you'll be taking over P.E. next year." She gives him a smile and tucks some of her hair behind her ear.

"News travels fast, huh?"

She shrugs. "I suppose." She takes another step toward him. "You used to teach, right? This isn't your first go."

"I taught for about a decade. Quit for about a decade." He stands fully and swings his bag over his shoulder. "It was nice meeting you, but I got my mate waiting at home for me."

He knows she's flirting with him. And if it were a year ago, he'd be all over her. But now? He's not even remotely interested. Sure, she's attractive. And she's trying her hardest to be sexy, if that extra undone button on her blouse has anything to say. But it's just not doing anything for him right now.

"Oh," she replies. "You're mated?"

"Yeah." He starts to walk out of the room. "See ya later," he calls back. He didn't really want to indulge her any, but he didn't want to be rude. Especially since he's going to be seeing her quite often sooner or later. Hopefully she got the hint that he's not interested.

Despite the awkward end to the day, the whole ride home, Negan smiles. He didn't really do much today, but it still felt good for him to be back in the classroom again. After he pulls into the garage and parks his Challenger, he pats his Harley as he passes it.

"Soon, my girl," he says out loud. He hasn't gotten a chance to work on the bike yet, since the weather has been too cold to really do so. But when spring arrives and those first warm days come along, he'll be out in the driveway getting her road ready.

Before he gets to the door to the house, it opens and Chuck comes to stand in the doorway.

"Did it go well?" she asks excitedly.

He gives her a quick kiss then walks past her into the living room. "It was good." He sets his bag down on the couch before sitting down beside it.

"Any trouble with the kids?"

When she sits down next to him, he wraps his arm around her and pulls her in closer to him. "Nope. Though I had one kid ask about..." he looks over to her, "that shit."

It's obvious to her what he means. "Oh." She looks away for a moment, then cuddles up to his side. "What'd you say?"

"I told them I wasn't gonna fuckin' talk about it. But I said I'd talk about anything else. Which might've been a goddamn mistake because they were asking questions left and right about being an alpha. I guess they've never learned about us before."

"Really? That's weird. My high school was smaller than this one and we had classes on alpha and omega development."

"Yeah. I don't know. I guess it's not in the fuckin' curriculum here."

"What if you did it? Couldn't you get the certification to teach a health class like that?"

He shrugs. "Probably. But if the powers that fuckin' be don't already think learning about people like us is important already, they're probably not gonna change their fuckin' minds any time soon."

"Tell them how curious the kids are." She shrugs a shoulder. "It won't hurt too ask."

Sighing, he wipes his hand over his beard. "I suppose."

That Sunday, Negan hosts a Super Bowl party for Rick, Carl, and Simon. Even if none of their preferred teams are playing (Redskins for both Negan and Simon and the Falcons for Carl and Rick), they can all band together to root against the Patriots.

Negan is a little nervous about Simon meeting Chuck for the first time. Even though he's been nothing but friendly for as long as he's known him, Simon is still an alpha. He just hopes everything will go smoothly so he won't have to cut ties with the man.

Rick and Carl arrive first, naturally, since they live only a few houses away. They end up bringing some snacks, chips and salsa, which they set up in the living room. After Rick and Carl get a quick tour of the house, everyone settles down in front of the tv.

Rick grabs a chip before before commenting on the house. "It's nice. It's set up a little bit differently from ours, though."

"It's perfect for us," Negan replies with a look over to Chuck beside him.

"Hey," Carl cuts in. "Are you teaching at my school now?" he asks Negan. "Someone told me you were there."

"I substituted the other day," Negan answers. "Didn't see you."

"I'm in Miss Kline's English class," Carl clarifies.

"Oh." Negan chuckles. "I met her."

Rich laughs, too, like they're sharing a joke. He has met the woman before, so he knows what probably happened already.

"What?" Chuck asks, picking up on the vibes.

Negan thinks of how to frame the the answer. "She's, uh..."

Carl jumps right in to complete the thought. "She's hot."

Rick shakes his head at Carl's candor, though he's still laughing.

Raising her eyebrows at this information, Chuck turns to Negan. "She's _hot_?"

"She's got nothing on you." Negan pulls Chuck into him and kisses the top of her head. "You got nothing to worry about."

She believes him, but it still has a twinge of jealousy blooming inside her. "I'll keep that in mind.

When Simon finally comes in, with a case of beer under his arm, things are tense for a few moments. Simon is careful not to move too quickly towards Chuck, just in case Negan would take it the wrong way. He truly doesn't want to cause any problems, so he holds his hand out, allowing Chuck to come to him to take it. Thankfully, once they actually do shake hands, the tension dissipates.

"I'm just gonna come right out and say it," Simon starts. "You smell like my sister."

Chuck giggles a little, not expecting that. "Really?"

"You have a sister?" Negan asks. Simon had never mentioned her before now.

"Yeah. She pretty much forbade me from telling other alphas about her. Especially single ones. But since you're mated now..." He shrugs then turns back to Chuck. "But, yeah. You smell a lot like her."

That makes Negan relax some. Alphas are usually very protective of their family members, especially their omega family, so if Chuck smells like Simon's sister, maybe he'll see her more as family than a potential mate.

"Do I smell like your brother?" Simon asks Chuck, wondering if it goes both ways.

"I don't have a brother. Or any alpha family, actually. I came from beta parents."

Rick looks surprised. "Really? I didn't know that was possible."

"It's not common," she says to Rick then turns back to Simon. "But you smell..." she thinks of how to describe it, "I guess... sort of... _safe_. At least safer than most other alphas I've met. Maybe that's sorta like brotherly." She shrugs then looks over to Negan for a moment. "It's hard to describe."

Negan just nods, his fears about Simon being a threat thankfully allayed.

As the game gets underway, Chuck tries her hardest to get into it. She was never one for sports, so it's a little rough going. Usually when Negan would watch football, she'd be doing something on her laptop or iPad, but she's actually trying to pay attention now.

"Oh, come on!"

"Fuck!"

"You kidding me?!"

Something happened that has the men all upset, but she isn't sure what. It entertains her, though, seeing them all get worked up over it.

"Not going well?" she finally asks.

Negan lets out a huff. "If that fucker Tom Brady gets another Super Bowl ring..."

"They're a bunch of cheaters!" Carl adds. "They don't deserve it!"

Chuck just giggles, wondering who Tom Brady is. When halftime comes around, Negan grills off some burgers for everyone to eat, even though they've been stuffing their faces with snacks the whole time.

"How's Michonne?" Chuck asks Rick as they sit around the dining room table to eat.

He quickly wipes his mouth before speaking. "She's good. Got a lot of work coming in now after-" He stops himself from completing the thought. Since she had been Negan's lawyer during the whole Eldritch situation, her name had been thrown around quite a bit, making her more recognizable. It didn't even really matter that she never set foot in a court room for that, since no charges were brought against Negan.

Chuck just nods. "That's good, I guess."

"She's a good woman," Negan comments to Rick. "How the hell'd she end up with your sorry ass?"

Rick laughs. "I don't know."

"I still owe her for all the shit she did for me," Negan adds.

Rick nods. "I'm sure she'd just say she was doing her job." He turns over to Simon. "So, what do you do, Simon?"

"I own a bar in Charlottesville," he answers. "That's where I met Negan."

"It's a little weird, alphas being friends, isn't it?" Carl asks.

Negan just shrugs. "Simon's never done anything to make me hate him."

"It's not always competition," Simon clarifies. "Alphas can butt heads a lot, but we can be friends, too. Though I wouldn't have called Negan much of a friend until recently. More like an acquaintance."

"Just come right out and say I was an asshole," Negan jokes.

"Not really an asshole," Simon clarifies. "More like you couldn't be bothered with having a friend."

Negan nods thinking it over. "That's fair. But shit changed." He gives Chuck a quick wink, letting her know that she had a hand in that change.

Once the game is over and the men are all mad that the Patriots did actually win, they start to bid their farewells.

Before Rick leaves, he mentions to Negan that some of the guys in town run a fantasy football league. "I wasn't in it this year, but I can introduce you to the guys next season if you want."

"Shit yeah! I used to love fantasy football. Haven't done it in years."

Simon speaks up. "Can I get in on that, too?"

Rick nods. "Yeah. I'm sure they'd accept you guys."

As Chuck and Negan's first Valentine's Day comes around, they plan on a nice dinner together at home. Negan actually has to work during the day, but he's planning on cooking dinner for the two of them once he gets home.

In between classes, Negan heads off to the teacher's lounge to grab a cup of coffee. Once he walks in, he hears two female teachers talking as they stand in front of the coffee machine. One woman he doesn't know and the other is Lara Kline, the flirty English teacher he met on his first day.

"Could you imagine?" the unknown woman continues, both of them not realizing that they're no longer alone.

"Oh, I imagine it. _A lot_ ," Lara says with a giggle.

"He _is_ hot. But an alpha? Wouldn't he be rough?"

"I wouldn't mind. I've always wanted to be with an alpha in rut," Lara says dreamily. "And he is just perfect."

"You kinky bitch." As the woman laughs, she happens to turn her head to see Negan standing in the doorway. "Oh, shit."

He had a feeling they were talking about him, but her reaction upon seeing him confirms it. He decides not to acknowledge it, though. "Ladies," he greets then pushes forward to the coffee machine.

The unknown woman quickly leaves the room, too embarrassed to see what Negan might say. Lara, on the other hand, stays rooted to her spot, watching Negan as he pours the coffee into his cup.

"The offer's there," she coos quietly.

He flicks his gaze to her. "And what offer is that?"

She takes a step toward him. "I think you heard what we were talking about," she whispers. "It is Valentine's Day, after all.

Chuckling lightly, Negan leans forward to place his mouth next to her ear. "The answer's no. I have a fuckin' mate." When he backs away, he sees the smile on her face fall, turning her expression into a scowl.

"Does that really matter?" she bites back.

His own face falls into a dangerous expression. "It's _all_ that fuckin' matters," he growls.

Lara takes a quick step back, her eyes still focused on his as she tries to determine just how serious he is. She's heard that even if alphas are possessive of their omegas, they're not exempt from stepping out on them.

Negan, being completely done with this conversation, picks up his coffee cup and turns away from the woman just as the bell rings.

At the end of the day, he decides to stop off at Jo's office. He knocks twice on her opened door and waits for her to look up at him.

"Negan," she greets happily. "Come in." She gestures to the chair in front of her desk.

Negan takes the seat, letting out a breath as he sits back and crosses his leg to rest his ankle over his knee. "I need to cover my ass on something."

Jo raises her eyebrow at him as she pulls the reading glasses off of her nose. "Alright," she says slowly. She's not exactly worried about what he'll say next; despite not knowing him for long, she trusts him.

Before she okayed Negan to work at her school, she did her research on him. His past work as a teacher was remarkable, and his sudden departure from the field was certainly understandable given his wife's death. When his more recent history came up, she had quite a bit to think about. It was during their first phone calls that she really made her decision. His attitude was just so refreshing that she knew he would bring something to the school that it has been sorely lacking. That being, a new perspective.

He scratches at his beard before speaking. "Lara Kline," he starts to explain. "She flirted with me my first day. Came onto me harder today."

Jo nods, listening to him. "What'd she do?"

"I walked in on her talking to some other fuckin' teacher about wanting to fuck an alpha in rut. Then she said 'the offer stands' or some shit. I told her I wasn't interested."

"Do you want to fill out paperwork for it? Harassment claim?"

He shakes his head. "I don't wanna get the girl in trouble. I just wanna cover my ass. Just in case."

"I'll write a memo." She studies him a moment before letting out a breath. "You know, I legally can't ask you about your cycle."

He gives her a smile, knowing where this is going. "I'm aware."

"However, if you need a few days off now and again..."

"I'm fine talking about it, I don't give a shit. I'm not gonna get the fuckin' Alpha League to sue you or anything."

She shrugs a shoulder. "That's good to know."

"Chuck-" he pauses. "Chuck's my mate. It's her nickname," he explains, knowing it might sound weird. "Anyway, she doesn't do suppressants so heats come every few months. It can be irregular." He doesn't want to get too detailed, but he figures Jo should know. "Last heat was end of November, so..."

"We should expect you to need some time off in a week or two," she completes the thought.

He nods once. "Probably."

"It's not much of a big deal now that you're a substitute. You can just tell us you can't come in. Next year when you're full time? We'll have to make plans. But it's still doable."

"I promise it won't be fuckin' distracting."

"That's good."

"You know, the kids really don't know shit about alphas or omegas."

"Really?"

"No. They asked me a lot of shit about it. Most of them believe fuckin' stereotypes about us."

"That's pretty unfortunate, I suppose."

"It really fuckin' is. I was kinda fuckin' shocked that there aren't any alpha/omega health classes here."

She smiles, figuring out where this is going. "Are you suggesting that we add a class, Negan?"

"I think you should."

"And would you happen to know someone with the proper certificate to do so?" she asks with a lilt.

He chuckles at her tone. "I know of someone that can get the certificate before the start of next year."

"Well, I think it would be a great idea, Negan." She gives him a smile, knowing that the two of them are in agreement.

While Negan is at work, Chuck tries to think of what she can do for him for their first Valentine's Day. She knows he's planning on cooking a meal for them, so she decides to make a dessert. Sifting through a bunch of online recipes, she settles on strawberry cheesecake. After heading out to get the ingredients, she gets to work on the dessert. It's not the most complicated dish, but it's a little bit of an ordeal because she has never made anything like it before. Once she gets it all done, the kitchen is a mess, but she's happy with the results.

"That looks fuckin' good," Negan comments from his spot by the archway to the kitchen, his voice startling her.

"Jeez" she clutches her chest. "You scared me! I didn't hear you come home."

He walks over to give her a kiss. "Just got here. Saw all this." He gestures around the room with a chuckle.

"I'll clean it up."

"Nah. I got it. You go rest up before dinner."

"You're the one that just got home from work."

"And I'm the one that's gonna make you a nice ass dinner." He shoos her out of the kitchen. "I want it to be a fuckin' surprise."

"More like you don't want me messing up your kitchen any further."

He chuckles. "I would never say that," he says, faking offense.

"Yeah. You wouldn't _say_ that. But you'd _imply_ it."

He laughs as he turns back into the kitchen. Chuck takes this opportunity to get ready for the meal. While she was out today, she bought herself a new dress (and some other things) hoping to surprise Negan by dressing up a little.

She pulls on the black sheath dress with a sweetheart neckline and tries to do her makeup. She's not too practiced on that front, so she settles for a simple eye with bold red lipstick. Her hair, which she usually only wears one of two ways (down or in pigtail buns), is pulled up into a messy updo. It takes a little fiddling with to get it to look like the sexy kind of messy and not the unkempt kind, but she gets it right in the end.

When Negan yells up the stairs that dinner is ready, she's just about done.

"I'll be right down," she calls out. Giving herself a final look in the mirror, she heads downstairs then into the dining room.

Negan is waiting for her by her chair, ready to pull it out for her when she walks through the archway. He lets out a low whistle once he sees her.

"Shit, baby girl. You got all dolled up for me?"

"I tried." She giggles then walks over to him.

He gives her a quick kiss before helping her to sit down. "You look amazing." He takes his seat across the table from her. "I shoulda freshened up."

"It smells delicious." Once she takes her first bite, she lets out a soft moan. "It _is_ delicious. You're such a good cook. I think I'm going to gain weight living with you," she jokes.

He laughs. "I will cook for you however much you fuckin' want. No matter how much you want."

"How did you get so good in the kitchen? Didn't you say you cooked with your mom?"

He pauses a moment before answering. "Yeah. I used to cook with her when I was little. My father..." he lets out a heavy breath, "he didn't let her do shit. He controlled every fuckin' aspect of her life. Except in the kitchen. That was all hers and she was a fuckin' master. She taught me a lot before she died."

Chuck just nods, not wanting to push Negan into saying more. He had never really talked about his mother much, the subject being a painful one for him.

"She taught you well," she says with a soft smile.

"I didn't cook for a lotta years actually," he continues. "I presented alpha not long after my mom died and my father told me that cooking was 'omega's work'." He shrugs. "That was that. Until I rented my first apartment with a decent kitchen. I picked it back up. Cooked all kinds of shit."

"Maybe you can teach me. Most of the stuff I cook is just frozen pizza," she jokes.

"If you want I can." His lips curl up in a smile. "Or I can just keep on taking care of you. I kinda like it," he comments with a bite of his lower lip.

Once the meal is eaten, Chuck brings out her cheesecake. "I hope it's good. I think I followed the recipe right."

They both sit down with their slices and look up to each other.

"Smells like fuckin' cheesecake," Negan calls out before stabbing his fork in and shoveling a big bite into his mouth. "It's fuckin' good," he mumbles out with his mouth full.

Chuck takes her first bite. "It _is_ good," she comments, relieved that it isn't horrible. "It's really rich, though."

"This is your go to dessert now." He takes another big bite. "I love this shit."

She giggles. "I think if I make this a lot we're _both_ gonna get fat." She take a generous bite. "And diabetes," she ads.

"Worth it."

With the table cleared, Negan starts to pull Chuck to the garage door.

"What are you doing?" she asks confused.

"Your present is out here."

"Oh? I thought the meal was my present."

They walk through the door and down the steps to Negan's car. "This is a little unconventional of a gift," he starts as he opens the back door, "so I hope you fuckin' like it." He leans down into the car and pulls out a dark purple motorcycle helmet, handing it to a bewildered Chuck.

"It's a helmet," she says simply.

" _Your_ helmet. For when I get the bike up and running." He looks at her expression for a moment, not able to properly decode it. "Do you hate it?"

She gives him a wide smile. "No. I love it! I'm happy you want to include me with all your motorcycle stuff."

"Shit, I thought I fucked up there."

"I would love anything you'd give me."

He chuckles. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. I don't really expect you to give me anything, though. You don't have to."

"I like giving you shit." He gives her a quick kiss then bends back down to take another helmet out of his car. This one is black, though it seems to be the same brand as hers, just larger. "We can put these on this shelf until we're ready to fuckin' wear them."

After storing away their new headwear, it's Chuck's turn to take Negan by the hand, leading them upstairs to their room.

"I got you a gift, too." She produces a small box from her nightstand and hands it to him.

"You didn't have to do that shit." He accepts the box and opens it, revealing two nice cufflinks. They're silver and black with an N monogrammed on both in a fancy font.

"I don't know a lot about cufflinks, so I hope they're okay."

"They're fuckin' perfect." He wraps an arm around Chuck and brings her in for a kiss.

"That's not the end of your gift." She pulls away from him and turns around, pointing over her shoulder to prompt him to unzip her dress.

With a wide smile on his face, he drags a hand up her waist and over to the zipper, pulling it down slowly. "I'm liking where this is going," he whispers in her ear.

Once the zipper is opened, he runs both of his hands across her shoulders, dropping her dress to the ground. She turns around to face him, placing her hands on his chest.

"Fuck," he breathes out, putting his hands on her hips and pushing her away to get a good look at her. "Goddamn, baby girl." He bites his lip as he takes the sight of her in. "I _like_ this," he groans as he ghosts his hands over her.

Once she left the store after buying her dress earlier today, she had seen a lingerie shop right across the street. It gave her the idea to do something that she never really did before, buy sexy underwear. The nice shop girl had helped her pick out a black lace balconette bra with matching panties complete with a garter belt holding up nude thigh highs with a seam up the back.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Chuck says as alluringly as she can.

Negan runs one hand down her thigh, unhooking the clip from her suspender. He repeats the action on the other side, allowing him to pull her stockings down and off her feet. Still knelt down before her, he lays his hands on her hips and pulls her into him to place a kiss just below her belly button.

Giggling at the contact, Chuck runs her hands through his hair. As she looks down at him, she wonders how she got so lucky to have this man as her mate.

He lifts his eyes up to hers, though he keeps his face close to her skin. "You know how fuckin' much I love you?" His hands rove up from her bottom to the smooth skin of her back.

She bites her lip to try to hide her smile. "How much?"

He stands, pulling her body close to his as he places his mouth next to her ear. "More than anything," he whispers.

A small gasp leaves her lips at his words before she can stop herself. "That's a good answer," she says with a smile on her face.

She takes her time unbuttoning Negan's shirt, slowly sliding it off of his shoulders to pool behind him. Her hands run down his chest to his belt, unbuckling it then his pants. It only takes a little push for his slacks to fall down his narrow hips to join his shirt at his feet.

As soon as her fingers brush against his clothed bulge, he lets out a low groan. "Shit."

She lets out a giggle at his reaction. He's such a tough, strong man, but the lightest of touches from her can elicit such a reaction.

"Lay down on the bed," she requests, though her hand pushing his chest makes it more of a demand.

He takes a few steps backwards until he can sit down on the bed, never taking his eyes off of her as she stands in front of him. Instead of carrying out her order to lay down, though, he snakes his arm around her back and unlatches her bra.

"As sexy as this shit is," he pulls the garment off her then gives her bare breasts a squeeze, "I gotta see you."

Something about how slow they're going (or maybe it's just the Valentine's Day mood) has Chuck ready to go pretty quickly. That fact driven home even more so by the slick dampening her fancy new underwear. Once Negan takes off her garter belt and drags her panties down her legs, he lets out a low chuckle.

"I knew you were fuckin' drenched," he teases.

Her cheeks bloom red as she pushes back on his shoulder slightly. "Lay back." Once he complies, she removes his boxers, freeing his straining erection. "Looks like _someone's_ excited," she teases right back.

He suddenly jumps up, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her down under him.

"Negan!" she squeals as he covers her skin with kisses.

The playful affections turn heated quickly and within minutes, the pair are pawing at each other desperately. It isn't until his knee slips between hers so he can position himself between her legs that she has a realization.

"Oh my god, Negan!" she yells and shoves him off her.

"What?!" he calls back in shock.

"The condom!"

"Shit, Chuck." He drags his hand over his face as he lets out a heavy breath. "I thought something was fuckin' wrong. I about had a heart attack."

"Sorry. But you really _would've_ had a heart attack if we remembered while you were knotting me." She rolls over to open her nightstand, pulling out one of the omega condoms. "We're almost out," she comments once she sees into the box.

"Fuck. I'm gonna have to call the doctor then. And find a new fuckin' pharmacy around here."

After making sure that the night's activities won't result in any surprises in nine months, the fire between them builds back up quickly. When Chuck nudges Negan to lay on his back, he doesn't fight it, deciding to do as she says. She crawls over over him to straddle his pelvis.

He can't help but run his hands over her hips and up her sides. "On top, baby girl?"

"Is that okay?" she asks, his question stoking some of her insecurities that he wouldn't want her like this.

"Fuck yes, it's okay," he answers enthusiastically.

With that, she wastes no time in sinking down onto him. Once he's fully sheathed inside her, she lets out a soft moan.

"Mmm," he responds in kind. "You feel so fuckin' good."

She starts up a slow pace, grinding her hips into his shallowly at first. When he starts to squirm underneath her, desperate for more, she lets out a breathy laugh.

"You're teasing me, little girl," he almost growls, but he lets her keep control.

After a few more moments, she finally lifts her hips, sliding herself up and down on him, though the pace is still slow. She finds that, despite wanting to draw this out, her body seems to be picking up the pace all on its own, circling her hips more quickly.

"Oh," she moans as she moves her hands to brace herself on his chest, giving her more leverage.

"Shit," Negan hisses as he bucks his hips up to meet hers.

As his knot starts to swell, he has to stop himself from flipping them over and pounding into her. Chuck seems to enjoy being the one in control right now, so he holds himself back to allow her to continue.

Her pace quickens and she throws her head back in pleasure. "Oh god, Negan!"

"That's it." He grips her hips tightly. "Cum for me, omega."

Once he feels those first flutters in her walls, he pulls her down to envelop his fully formed knot, falling over the edge with her. After her orgasm, Chuck collapses onto Negan's chest, still trying to catch her breath. He wraps his arms around her, holding her close.

"I love you, Negan," she whispers into his neck.

He gently pulls her face up to kiss her deeply. "I love you, my omega."

A few days later as Negan is lounging on the couch, he gets a text message from Aaron.

 _I found a 64 Honda Super Hawk. Needs a lot of work, but I'm going to buy it._

 _Fucken awesome. That's a sweet bike._

 _We can help each other out on the builds._

 _Shit yea we can. Can't wait to ride. I got Chuck a helmet so she can join us._

 _Is it a good one?_

 _Of fucken course it is. I did my homework._

 _You be safe with her on your bike._

 _You think I would let her get hurt._

 _I guess not._

 _Damn right._

The mention of Chuck makes Negan realize that he hasn't seen her in a bit. He figures she's probably working in the office. But then again, she told him she didn't have anything to do today.

"Chuck?" he calls out as he walks up the stairs. Before he gets to the second floor landing, he sees a quick flash of Chuck hurrying into their bedroom, her hands full with something. "What the fuck are you doing?" Once he turns the corner to enter the room, it all becomes clear.

She straightens up from where she was leaning over, fixing the plethora of blankets she has gathered from every room in the house and piled onto the bed. "I think we need to buy more bedding," she comments, completely serious.

He laughs. "Is that so?" He walks over closer to her. "We need more than _this_?"

Looking down at their completely covered bed, she has a moment of clarity. "Oh god. I think this is every blanket and pillow we own. Why did I do this?" She turns her head to Negan, seeking the answer.

"I think you're fuckin' nesting."

"Nesting?" She looks down to the bed then back up. Chuck knew that most omegas go through a nesting phase when they are pregnant and some will make a nest for each heat as well. It isn't unheard of for omegas not to nest at all, though.

"I guess now we now your heat's fuckin' coming," he comments.

"I never... nested before, though. I thought I wouldn't."

"Maybe it's cuz this is _our_ space now. Instead of just _yours_ or _mine_ like in our fuckin' apartments."

"Hmm." She fiddles with the blanket that's balled up on the side of the bed. "Does this look alright?"

He chuckles then hugs her from behind, placing his chin on her shoulder. "It's perfect."

"You don't care at all, do you?" she responds with a smirk.

"Whatever nest you make, I'll fuckin' love it." He turns his head to kiss her on the cheek.

She pauses, thinking it over. "I think we need to go to the store."

He pats her hip as he moves away, laughing under his breath. "Alright, baby girl."

"Just one more blanket," she assures him as they walk down the stairs. "And maybe a pillow," she tacks on. "Like a body pillow."

He just shakes his head, already knowing that he's going to let her buy everything she wants, which ends up being two fleece blankets, one fluffy down comforter, and a body pillow. Sure enough, the day after Chuck gets her nest just perfect, she goes into heat.


	17. Part 17

"Fuck. Oh fuuuucckk," Negan groans as his knot swells to completion once again inside Chuck. He can already feel his head clearing, signaling that this cycle of his rut and her heat is coming to an end.

"Mmm," Chuck hums as she comes down from her own high.

"You good, baby girl?" he whispers into her ear as he wraps his arms around her, pulling her back into his chest.

"I'm good," she answers dreamily, placing her arms over his wrapped around her.

"You know, I kinda like all the pillows," he jokes. "Makes shit cozier. Like we're fucking in a cocoon."

She giggles. "Now that my heat is just about over, I think we can get rid of them. After your knot goes down, anyway."

He snuggles more into her back. "We can keep them 'til tomorrow," he says with a smirk.

A few days later, Negan walks into the nearest pharmacy to pick up his prescription of omega condoms, since they are almost completely out after Chuck's heat. It's such a hassle having to call his doctor so they can call the pharmacy so Negan can wait in line _just_ so he can sleep with Chuck without her getting pregnant, but it's necessary. Annoying, but necessary since Chuck can't take any birth control.

Of course the place is busy when he gets there, so he stands in line patiently waiting until he can get to the counter. It's a smaller pharmacy than the one back in Charlottesville, so there's only a few people working there, which is why the line is so long. After a while, he finally gets to the front.

"Prescription for Negan," he says to the girl behind the counter.

She pauses, giving him an anxious look before she mutters, "Just a moment." The girl quickly walks away to disappear into the back. After a few minutes, an older man in a lab coat comes forward, obviously the pharmacist and not just a technician like the younger woman from earlier.

"Mr. Negan," the man starts, "I'm sorry, but I can't fill your prescription."

"Why not?" Negan spits back.

"I am morally opposed to providing it to you."

" _Morally opposed_? What the fuck does that mean?"

The man lets out a huff. "It is my right not to provide drugs that go against my moral and religious beliefs."

"Are you fucking kidding me? You have a whole fuckin' aisle of condoms and lube just over there that anyone can pick up! Or is it just so _betas_ can pick that shit up?"

The pharmacist is starting to look very nervous, but he holds his ground. "I suggest you come back tomorrow. The pharmacist on duty then will probably fill your prescription."

Negan, fully pissed off now, points his finger right in the man's face. "This is bullshit and you know it. Classist fuck." He stomps through the people gawking at the display of what just happened and exits the store.

As soon as Chuck sees Negan come in from where she's walking down the stairs, she knows something is wrong. "What happened?" she asks as she continues her descent to follow him into the kitchen.

He opens the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of water before turning around to answer her. "The pharmacist wouldn't give me my prescription," he relays with anger in his tone. "Small town fuckin' pharmacy," he mutters.

"What? They can do that?"

"Yeah." He takes a gulp of water. "'Religious beliefs'," he says with quotey fingers. "It's perfectly fine for doctors and shit to discriminate against us because of a few words in the goddamn bible saying that nothing should come in the way of alphas impregnating omegas." He takes another angry drink. "Fuckin' discriminating assholes," he mutters.

"So we have to find another pharmacy?"

He lets out a huff as he leans back on the counter. "I don't want to have to fuckin' drive into DC every time we need a goddamn prescription." He sets the bottle down and scratches at his cheek. "I'll go back tomorrow and see if the other pharmacist will do it. If they won't, then I guess I'll have to brave fuckin' DC traffic."

"Alright." She goes over to him and gives him a hug. "I'm sorry this is such a hassle."

He kisses the top of her head. "It's not your fault. It's that old ass beta's fault for being a hateful dick. I can't believe it's fuckin' legal to do that shit still."

The next day, Negan heads back to the pharmacy. He waits in line, just like he did yesterday, and when he gets to the counter, he sees the same young woman from yesterday handing out the prescriptions. Once she sees Negan, her eyebrows raise almost like she's scared.

"Negan," he says to her without prompt.

"Uh. Yes, sir." She hurries to the back and comes back with a white bag in her hands. "There you go," she says quietly, afraid of how the alpha in front of her will react.

"It's alright, sweetheart," he tries to soothe her. "I know you're just doing your job. It's not your fault that pharmacist is living in the fuckin' olden days."

She gives him a nervous smile. "Thanks."

After she rings him out, he asks, "So what days does the douchebag pharmacist work so I know to stay away?"

"Uh." She clears her throat. "I can't tell you that," she answers meekly. "It's company policy."

He lets out a huff and picks up the bag from the counter. "Of course it is."

"H-Have a nice day."

He just gives her a nod and walks out.

Negan has been working on his bike for a few hours when his phone rings. After the short conversation with an old acquaintance, he makes his way back inside. He's just about ready to call out for Chuck when he hears music coming from upstairs. He follows the melody to their bedroom to see Chuck practicing her violin.

"Sounds beautiful," Negan comments from the doorway.

Chuck stops playing to look up at him. "I'm not that good yet. But I'm getting better." She moves to put the instrument back in it's case. "I'm glad my mom gave it to me. It's pretty fun to play."

Negan takes a few steps into the room. "So... you remember when I told you I was gonna take you to a baseball game?"

She scrunches up her face as she tries to remember. "Not really."

"Well I _did_ tell you that and now I'm gonna be in possession of two tickets to see my Yankees play in DC. This guy I know came into them and isn't a fuckin' fan, so he's gonna give 'em to me."

"Oh," she replies, trying to sound excited. "That's nice."

He just chuckles at her unenthusiastic reaction. "Come on! Baseball is the national pastime!"

"No, I know. I just... don't watch baseball." She shrugs a shoulder. "But I'll go to this game with you."

"Don't sound so happy about it," he jokes sarcastically.

She giggles. "I'm happy... to spend time with you."

Pulling her into him for a kiss, he chuckles at how hard she's trying to hide her indifference to his favorite sport.

Just under a week later, Chuck and Negan (decked out in all his Yankees gear) are sat in Nationals Park in DC waiting for the game to start.

"How are you a Yankees fan?" Chuck asks. "You've always lived in Virginia, right?"

"Yeah." He lets out a sad chuckle. "My dad was born in Boston. Always made me watch the fuckin' Red Sox. Since my fuckin' father was an asshole, I decided to root for the Yankees despite him." When she just looks at him confused, he realizes he has to explain. "The Yankees and the Red Sox are rivals. Have been for decades. It's like the biggest fuckin' sports rivalry in history."

She gives him a little shrug.

"Curse of the Bambino?" he tries, thinking she has to have at least heard of that.

"I don't know what that is," she admits.

"Shit," he groans, but she just laughs.

"My family was never a sports family. We're band nerds."

Negan shakes his head, playing up his fake disappointment. "You're breaking my heart girl. You've heard of Babe Ruth, right?"

"Yeah. I know who he is."

"That's something, at least."

As the game gets underway, Chuck tries her best to pay attention to the action on the field. She soon finds that it's much more entertaining just to watch Negan as he's watching the game.

*crack* The ball sails through the air as the Nationals batter starts to run to first base.

"Ah, shit! They could get three fuckin' runs! No!" Negan jumps up from his seat as his eyes follow the ball. "Catch it! Fuckin' catch it!"

When the ball lands safely in one of the Yankee's gloves, Negan lets out a cry of relief. But he goes absolutely nuts when the player throws the ball to the guy on third base, which calls one runner out. When the ball is thrown home, the umpire calls another runner from the Nationals out as he slides in.

"Triple play!" Negan screams as he throws his hands up in the air. "Holy shit!"

Chuck can't help but giggle at how excited he is. It makes him look like a little kid, which is so cute to her.

"Did you fuckin' see that?!" He turns back to Chuck to see her reaction. "That was fuckin' amazing. A triple play!"

Chuck nods, though she's still giggling. "Is that good?"

"Is that good?!" He sits back down, his breathing still rapid from the excitement. "It's fuckin' rare and awesome as fuck! I can't believe I was here for that!"

"I didn't really see it," she admits. "I was watching you."

"What?" He scrunches up his face in confusion. "Why the fuck would you be watching me?"

"Because I like to see you so excited."

That gets him to let out a chuckle. "I guess I can accept that." He wraps his arm around her shoulders and pulls her forward to kiss her.

Once the game is over (Yankees won), Chuck and Negan exit the stadium to make their way home. Despite the horrible gridlock that comes with all the spectators leaving at the same time, Negan is still practically vibrating with enthusiasm.

"That was such a good fuckin' game," he comments. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah. I had fun."

"Did you?" He flicks his gaze over to her. "Or are you just fuckin' saying that?"

"I _did_ have fun. I had fun because _you_ had fun."

He shakes his head with a smile on his face. "I'm not making you a fuckin' fan of baseball anytime soon, am I?"

She shrugs. "Maybe..."

Her attempt at being diplomatic doesn't fool Negan, but he's not offended. "I guess we're just gonna have to continue to disagree on the entertainment value of organized sports."

She giggles. "That's probably for the best."

A few days later, Diane comes for a visit. Since Negan had gotten called in to work, Chuck and her mother have the house to themselves.

"Work's going well?" Diane asks her daughter as they both sit on the couch, mugs of coffee in their hands.

"Yeah," Chuck answers. "It's really good."

"And Negan?"

Chuck giggles. "He's good, too." She brings her mug up to take a sip of her sweet coffee.

"Have you started to talk about the wedding?"

Chuck lets out a little cough into her cup. "Wedding?"

"Well yeah. You know, to your _fiancé_?" Diane replies sarcastically.

"We, uh." Chuck clears her throat. "We haven't really talked about it."

"Charlotte Josephine," her mother chides. "You've been engaged for months now."

"I know. But we're already mates. And living together. A wedding is just a ceremony, really."

"A _ceremony_ your mother wants to see!"

Chuck laughs at her dramatics. "We'll have a wedding at some point, Mom. But I don't want a big thing. Just a little get together. I mean," Chuck looks around, "we could do it here. We have a nice back yard."

"Negan might want it done in a church."

Chuck gives her a look. "Is that your way of saying that _you_ want it in a church?"

"No," Diane tries, though Chuck is right. "You haven't asked Negan, have you?"

"He's not exactly religious, Mom. Neither am I."

"There are some gorgeous churches around here-"

"You've already been planning the wedding, haven't you?" Chuck asks, talking over her mother.

Diane doesn't see the point in hiding it anymore. "Of course I have! You're my only child. When you were a little girl, I always pictured you meeting a nice boy in college, renting a crappy apartment together, getting engaged, and having a big wedding with everyone's families. Then you'd get a house, kids, the whole nine yards. But..."

"I wasn't normal." Chuck finishes the sentence sadly.

"No. I wasn't going to say that."

"But I _wasn't_ normal. I was an omega, but... not really."

"I _always_ thought there was someone out there for you," Diane reassures her daughter. "I was right. Sort of," she tacks on with a laugh. "I never thought he'd be an alpha and you'd be an omega and the whole claiming stuff. So it's a little different than I'd imagined," she chuckles a bit. "But I'm so happy that you've found love with Negan." Chuck feels her cheeks going red at that, but Diane just continues. "And I wanna celebrate that with a wedding!"

Chuck laughs. "Alright. Me and Negan will start to talk about it," she assures her.

"Yes!" Diane calls out.

"I said _start_ to talk," Chuck stresses. "Don't get too excited just yet."

Meanwhile, Negan is sitting in on a math class all day at the high school. The teacher hadn't left any specific instructions, so Negan is just treating it as a study hall. It's not exactly exciting, but he's getting to know the kids a little more.

The last period of the day happens to be a class that Carl Grimes is in. As soon as Negan sees him, he lets out a laugh.

"It's about time I get one of your classes," he calls out as Carl takes his seat along with his friends that came in with him.

"Hey, Negan," the teenager greets.

When Negan sees that the class is mostly empty after the bell rings, he lets out a huff. "Where the fuck is everyone else?" he asks no one in particular.

"They all skipped to get home early," Carl answers.

"Fuckin' assholes." Negan can't say he blames them, since he wasn't going to have them do anything anyway, but he's not exactly okay with students skipping classes. "I guess it's just us, then," he mutters. "If you got homework or some shit to do, work on it. It's not like we have anything else to fuckin' do."

"Can we get hall passes out?" one of Carl's friends asks.

"Where?"

The friend looks to Carl for him to take over, since he's friendlier with Negan. "There a storage room beside the gym with old equipment. We just hang out in there sometimes," Carl explains.

Negan lets out a huff. "I'm not gonna let you guys go there unsupervised to play grabass or what-the-fuck-ever. Who the fuck do you think I am?"

The other kids look embarrassed, but not Carl. "We mostly just play ping pong or fuck around with the tennis rackets."

"First of all, language," he starts. "Your balls haven't been descended long enough for you to earn the right to say 'fuck'. And secondly, there's a fuckin' ping pong table?"

"Yeah," Carl answers. "It's old. They never pull it out for anything."

One of the girls pipes up. "My mom said they had a table tennis club in the nineties. I think it's from that time."

Negan suddenly stands, his mind made up. "Alright. We're headed to this fuckin' place. Lead the way."

Carl and the five other kids take Negan to the room they were talking about. It's tucked away behind the stage and it's obviously the graveyard for old sports equipment and sets/props for the drama club. Near the center of the room sits a well worn ping pong table with balls and paddles sitting on top of it.

"Shit yeah!" Negan walks over to the table and picks out the least broken paddle. "Who's first?"

The kids look around at each other, a bit confused.

"This is a fuckin' tournament," Negan provides. "Someone step up!"

"What do we get if we win?" one of the students asks.

"A hundred bucks if any of you fuckers can beat me," Negan replies with all the confidence in the world.

"I'm in," one of the boys says as he picks up another paddle.

The table is cleared and the game gets underway. Of course, Negan wipes the floor with the kid. Easily. The boy doesn't get a single point before Negan gets to eleven. Carl tries next and has his ass handed to him as well. The two girls in the group go next, though they're no match for Negan. As the last of the boys fail as well, Negan lets out a laugh.

"I still fuckin' got it!" he says with a twirl of his paddle.

Carl lets out a scoff. "You failed to mention that you're really good at this. It's not exactly fair."

"It's not like I'm taking your money, kid. Besides, this was much more fun than sitting on our asses in that classroom."

Despite the kids having lost their games, they do agree that it was better than having a study hall.

"You should start up the table tennis club again, Mr. Negan," one of the girls comments.

He doesn't correct the girl to just call him 'Negan', but instead, gives her statement a thought. "Would anyone join?" he asks to the group. "I know you kids only care about your fuckin' snapchats or what-the-fuck-ever."

Carl shrugs a little. "I'd join."

His two friends nod, too. Then, the girls.

"I could use another extra curricular," one of the girls says.

A slow smile spreads across Negan's face. He would love the chance to coach an actual sport here. Their baseball coach, unfortunately, has no plans of quitting any time soon, so that was never an option. But this? Even if it's not an official competitive sport at the school, it would still be fun for Negan.

"You know what?" Negan starts. "I'm gonna talk to Principal Delaney. See if I can't get this shit started. If I get a sign up sheet posted, you guys spread it around. Tell everyone how fuckin' fun this shit is."

As soon as the dismissal bell rings, Negan heads off to find Jo Delaney. He finds her in the hallway heading to her office and quickly tells her his intentions.

"Ping pong?" she questions.

"Yeah. Table tennis. It's a fuckin' sport."

She chuckles. "I know it is. But why ping pong?"

Negan shrugs. "Apparently, this school _used_ to have a table tennis club. Besides, it gives me a chance to actually coach something. _And_ it gives some of these kids an opportunity to join something. You know, for their college applications and shit."

Jo thinks it over. "You're probably not going to get any money for this," she comments.

"I'll raise some," Negan responds.

"I don't have a problem with it, I suppose. Just make sure you get permission slips from all the kids that are interested." She looks at him skeptically. " _If_ there are any interested."

"You doubt me, but I'm gonna make it work," he says with a smirk, then turns to walk away. "Just you see."

Before Negan leaves for the day, he makes sure to pin up some sign up sheets to various bulletin boards around the school, hoping that there would be some interest in his little club so he can prove Jo wrong. Just to make sure that happens, he sends off a text to Rick, asking him to have Carl talk to all his friends about signing up.

When Negan gets home, Chuck can see the smile on his face.

"Good day?" she asks as she walks over to greet him.

"I'm starting up a table tennis club," he explains casually.

She raises her eyebrows. "Table tennis club? Is that a thing?"

"It is now." He plops himself down on the couch and pulls his phone out. "You mind if I buy a ping pong table and set it up in the garage?" he asks as he already searches for one on amazon.

"No." She giggles as she sits down beside him. "This club is going to meet in our garage?"

"Yeah. I figured no one else would give us any fuckin' space. Doubt they'll let us use the gym." He looks up from his phone at her. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah," she answers with a smile. "That's fine."

He goes back to his phone, finalizing his order before looking back up to Chuck's smiling face. "What?"

She shrugs. "Nothing."

"What?" he asks again.

"I like seeing you excited about your students. It's cute."

"I'm not cute."

"You're cute," she insists.

He suddenly pulls her into his lap and buries his nose into her neck, taking a deep breath and letting out a groan. As he starts to harden underneath Chuck, he whispers in her ear, "That feel cute to you?"

She laughs. "You know what, it actually does."

He flips them around, pinning her underneath him. "I'll show you cute," he growls.

She knows he's just playing around, so she continues with the joke. "You're so adorable!" As he kisses her neck, she giggles. "Like a little kitten." Once his kisses turn more passionate, her giggles turn to moans automatically.

"That's what I fuckin' thought," he says with a chuckle.


	18. Part 18

"Have you thought about what we wanna do for the wedding?" Chuck asks Negan the next morning as they sit at the dining room table eating their breakfast. Chuck has her bowl of Cocoa Puffs and Negan has just finished his eggs and bacon. "My mom is getting impatient," she explains.

Negan chuckles as he looks up from the newspaper in his hands. "I haven't really. I thought I'd leave that shit for you to do."

She lets out a little huff. "Gee, thanks."

"Well, I didn't wanna be in the fuckin' way. It's usually the woman that wants everything just perfect."

"Not _this_ woman. I'm fine with something simple, like just having it in the back yard. But when I told my mom that, she tried to convince me to do the whole church thing."

He takes a sip of his coffee as he thinks that over. "I like the idea of doing shit here. I _did_ the fuckin' church thing with Lucille and I fuckin' hated it. All pomp and circumstance. Her parents even insisted on the traditional mating ceremony, which is long and fuckin' boring. I didn't enjoy one minute of that shit."

"I don't want all that. I just want a simple thing with us and our family."

"Fine by me. Besides," he gives her a smirk, "the less money we spend on the wedding, the more money we can spend on the honeymoon."

At that, she takes in a sharp excited breath. "Ooo. Honeymoon," she draws out. "Let's get mom to plan our wedding so we can plan the fun stuff."

"You know it won't be simple if we give her full reign."

"You're right. We'll have to supervise, set out some parameters. But I _definitely_ want to get our honeymoon sorted really quickly."

"What are you thinkin'?"

She only mulls it over for a moment before she blurts out, "Hawaii!"

"Hawaii?" he repeats, not quite as enthusiastic as she was.

"Yeah, Hawaii. I've never been to any place tropical." She continues to look at him, searching his face for his true thoughts. "You don't like the idea?"

He shrugs nonchalantly. "Lounging on the beach sounds fuckin' nice. Especially if you're there in a skimpy ass bikini."

She laughs. "I've never worn a skimpy bikini in my life."

"There's always time to start," he quips with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"Then you have to wear one of those Italian model speedos."

He laughs out loud with his head thrown back. "I don't think so."

She shrugs a shoulder. "It's only fair."

He lets out a final chuckle before getting the subject back on track. "So when are we planning on doing this?"

"When do you want?"

He thinks a moment. "Sometime before the school year starts probably. Since I won't be fuckin' working yet. And summer will be nice weather."

"I think I should be able to take some time off, too."

"Sounds fuckin' good to me."

After a little bit more discussion, they decide on June 15 for the wedding. The honeymoon would come right after, of course. Chuck calls her mother as soon as they have the date set in stone and tells her about what she and Negan discussed. Even though Diane would rather have a more traditional wedding for her daughter in their neighborhood church, she's still excited to go through with what Chuck and Negan want. She's also glad that they are including her on the planning, even if they've specifically told her to keep things simple (and put her on a strict budget).

That night while Chuck and Negan are getting into bed, he pulls her into his chest and lets out a content sigh. "Mr. And Mrs. Negan," he says softly, thinking about all they've discussed today. "I fuckin' like the sound of that. All this wedding talk has me excited about this marriage shit."

Chuck's eyes go wide, then she lifts herself up to look at Negan. "Yeah... I'm excited, too. But... I, uh, was actually thinking about keeping my name, though," she admits hesitantly.

"What?" He moves to sit up quickly, his brows furrowed in a mixture of anger and confusion. "You don't wanna take my name?"

She straightens herself up beside him to answer. "I just... I like _my_ name," she says as gently as she can, since it seems like Negan isn't very happy with this development. "And my dad was an only child. I'm the only Langdon left," she adds.

"Are you fuckin' kidding me, Chuck?" he bites back.

She's taken aback by his strong reaction. "Are you really _that_ upset about it?"

He scoffs. "You think I _wouldn't_ be?!"

"You always said you hated your father. I didn't think you'd really care much about passing on his name."

"Negan was _not_ my father's name," he explains with some venom in his voice. "Negan is _my_ name. That's the name _I_ chose and now my mate is saying _she_ doesn't want it!"

Now Chuck feels a little bad. She didn't know any of that. "I'm sorry. You never mentioned your father's name. Or that you changed yours."

"Well, I didn't think it was fuckin' important," he spits out.

"Please don't be mad at me."

He throws his arms up in frustration. "What the fuck did you expect?"

"I didn't think it would be that big of a deal!"

"Not a big deal? Are you fuckin' kidding me? How the fuck are you still this goddamn clueless about all this shit? You're not a stupid fuckin' beta, Chuck. You're an omega. _My_ omega. And _I'm_ the alpha. It's time you started to fuckin' act like it."

She's shocked, not only by his words, but the harsh tone he uses to spit them out. Tears start to well up in her eyes as she struggles to respond to him. Negan can see how upset she's getting, but before he can try to fix it, she jumps out of bed and rushes out of the room.

"Chuck, wait!" he calls out, but is only met by hurried footsteps down the hall and the guest bedroom door slamming shut. "Shit," he mutters, sobering some at her reaction. Even through is anger, he knows he's messed up. And upsetting Chuck is the last thing he wants to do.

Once Chuck gets into the guest room, she whips back the covers on the bed and gets into it, angrily pulling the comforter up under her chin, as if she could just go to sleep after what just happened. But she's too angry and upset about the situation, both with herself for misjudging what Negan's reaction would be and with him for being so harsh with her.

Just a moment later, Negan's soft voice calls out from the other side of the door, much calmer than it had been just a minute ago. "Can I come in?" he asks, not even trying the handle to see if it was locked. He figures barging in without permission wouldn't garner him any favors at this point.

She sniffles and sits up, giving it serious thought to deny him. "Yeah," she finally croaks as she wipes the tears from her eyes and moves to lean back on the headboard.

He walks in slowly and stops right beside the bed. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn't have said what I fuckin' did."

Chuck just nods, unsure of what to say.

"You just need to understand-" he sits down on the edge of the bed to face her. "My alpha took over. All he heard was that his mate wanted nothing to do with him."

She shakes her head. "That's not what I meant at all."

"I know it isn't, but..." He lets out a heavy breath. "Please take my name, Chuck," he says softly, almost begging. "It would be like I failed as a fuckin' alpha if you didn't."

"Failed at what?"

He shakes his head. "I don't know. Keeping you, I guess."

" _Keeping_ me?" she questions.

"I know that sounds fuckin' bad, but..." he rubs his his hand down his chin. "That's the alpha instincts in me. Every time I see my mark on your neck, it makes me feel like I won the goddamn lottery. And hearing you say, 'I'm Mrs. Negan' will do the same fuckin' thing. Make me feel like I'm the luckiest fuck in the world, like I'm the best fuckin' alpha cuz I got the most beautiful, amazing omega at my side."

Chuck's known that Negan has a possessive streak, just like almost every other alpha, but she's never really thought about how ingrained that is in his personality. It's not just possessiveness, it's tied into his sense of self worth as an alpha.

And in a way he was right about her being clueless. She has become more comfortable with herself as an omega, but she hasn't really been too open to learning about the alpha world. She realizes that should probably change if she wants to be able to understand Negan better.

Since it means so much to him, she makes the decision to take his name, though she really doesn't want to drop her own family name completely. "Can we compromise?" she asks hesitantly.

"Compromise how?"

"I take your name, be Mrs. Negan, but I keep mine, too. Charlotte Josephine Langdon Negan."

"What would our kids' names be?"

"Negan. But they would have Langdon as like a middle name. If that makes sense."

He thinks a second. "Yeah, I'm okay with that." He leans in to give her a kiss. "I'm really sorry for being a dick," he says without pulling back much from her. "I fuckin' hate to see you upset."

"I'm sorry for not thinking about how you would feel about it. I guess I should be more considerate."

"It's alright." He kisses her again. "Can we go back to our room, now? I fuckin' hate the guest room."

She giggles a little. "Yeah."

Negan's ping pong table arrives a few days later and the newly formed Alexandria High School Table Tennis Club is set to hold their first meeting. There are only six of them, all the students that had told Negan about the ping pong table in the first place plus one extra girl. So maybe people weren't clambering to get their names on the sign up sheets like Negan had hoped, but at least there's more than a few kids here. And it's an even number, so there's that.

Carl and his two friends live close by in the neighborhood, so Negan offers to drive the three boys home from school. There isn't enough room for the three girls, too, but fortunately, one of them has a car and offers to drive the others. Once they all get to Negan's house, he parks his car in the driveway and invites the kids inside.

As soon as the front door opens, Chuck stands from her seat on the couch to meet Negan at the door.

"Hey, baby," he greets her with a quick kiss then gestures for the kids to enter. "Come on in." Once they all pile in, Negan closes the door behind them. "This is Chuck, my mate," he throws out casually as he moves across the room to the door leading to the garage. "I'm just gonna move my girl's car to give us more fuckin' room out there," he throws back to the students.

With Negan now out of the room, Chuck feels a need to fill the awkward silence. "Hello," she greets the students herself.

The kids, with the exception of Carl, just stare at her without moving, unsure of what to say. It's awkward being in a teacher's home to begin with, but now they're in a _mated pair's_ home, which is a first for all of them.

"Hey, Chuck," Carl says back, breaking the tension.

She gives him a warm smile, thankful to have some of the pressure off of her. "How's your dad and Michonne?"

"They're good," he answers, then looks around at his classmates. "This is," he starts to point the kids out, since they aren't taking the initiative to introduce themselves, "Isaac, Luisa, Renee, Oliver, and Tatiana."

"It's very nice to meet you all." Chuck clears her throat nervously and gestures back to the kitchen. "I, uh, I made some rice krispy treats if you guys want a snack." She hadn't been sure what to do to be a good host for the students. Providing finger food seemed to be like a good bet. And rice krispy treats are something she can actually make. "I have chips, too," she adds.

That was apparently the right thing to say because the kids push their way into the kitchen and lay into the spread of snacks that Chuck had laid out for them. With the junk food loosening them up, they actually start to talk.

"How old are you?" Oliver asks Chuck suddenly as he stuffs his mouth with chips.

The girl closest to him, Renee, smacks him on the arm. "You don't ask a woman her age."

"What?!" he bites back, then swallows his mouthful. "She's a lot younger than Negan."

Chuck laughs at the exchange. "I'm twenty six."

Isaac looks up, his curiosity piqued. "How old is Negan, then, exactly?"

Before she can answer, the man himself steps into the kitchen. "Don't you fuckin' answer that." He reaches over everyone to steal a chip from the bowl on the counter.

Chuck giggles at his reaction. "You don't want them to know that you're twenty nine?" she jokes.

Carl jumps right in, not believing Chuck's quip. "He's not _twenty nine_. He's my dad's age. At least."

"You calling me old, kid?"

Carl just shrugs his shoulder, not backing down. "I'm just sayin'. There's no way you're twenty nine."

"Alright, alright. Smartass." Negan steals another chip, stuffing it into his mouth casually. "Everyone, thank my beautiful wife for providing this shit."

There's an unenthusiastic chorus of "thank you, Mrs. Negan"s from the teens, which makes her chuckle.

"You're welcome. But 'Chuck' is just fine."

Negan points to the boys then gestures to the snacks. "Carry this shit out to the garage. We got work to do setting shit up." Once all the kids' backs are turned to go to the garage, Negan wraps his arms around Chuck and gives her a not-so-innocent kiss. "You gonna watch me kick those kids' asses?"

She laughs and returns the hug. "I might peek my head in."

"Alright." He kisses her again. "Make sure to stare at my ass when you do."

Chuck has a smile on her face as she watches him leave the room. The smile only gets bigger when she realizes that Negan had called her his wife in front of the kids. It came so easily and seemed so natural that it hadn't even registered to her.

She giggles to herself and moves to go into the garage, too, taking Negan up on the invitation to see him in his own element instructing the students.

"Happy birthday," Chuck whispers in Negan's ear once she feels him finally stir awake days later.

He lets out a soft groan and smiles as he opens his eyes to see Chuck leaning over him. His voice is low and gravelly with sleep as he says, "Whatcha gonna give me?"

She giggles and bends down to give him a quick kiss. "I just said 'happy birthday.' Isn't that enough?" she jokes.

Stretching out a little to wake himself up, he places his hand on her back and gently caresses her. "Bounce on my dick a little bit and we'll call it even." He nudges her to shift positions so that she's straddling him.

She giggles, already figuring that he would request some sort of _activity_ this morning. "Well, guess what?" she draws out playfully, bending her body down so that her face is close to his.

Letting his hands wander up her thighs under her nightgown, he bites his lip at the feeling of her soft skin under his fingertips. "What, dear?"

She moves to place her lips near to his ear and whispers, "I'm not wearing any underwear."

The words no sooner leave her lips when Negan flips them both over and settles between her legs. She giggles at the impatient motion, but once she sees him pull his already hard flesh from his boxers and position himself, her eyes go wide.

"Negan, what are you doing?" she says as she leans up on her elbows.

He pauses. "I thought we were getting our fuck on."

"We're not ready yet. Unless you _want_ me to get pregnant."

"Shit." He pauses as he realizes that in his excitement, the thought hadn't crossed his mind. "I can be careful. I'll fuckin' pull out."

"Are you sure? You can't knot me then."

"I got plenty of time tonight to knot you. Besides, you're not near your fuckin' heat right now, so even if I did cum in you, I bet we'd be safe."

That _is_ true, Chuck thinks. Her period is due in just a couple days. Besides, she's been fantasizing all morning before she woke him, so she's more than ready to go. And a little impatient herself.

"Well, then. Get on with it," she says in a breathy whisper as she lays back down.

With a bite of his lip, Negan takes ahold of her waist with one hand and uses his other to guide him into her slowly, making sure that she's really ready for him. He's not met with much resistance and when he's fully sheathed inside her, he lets out soft grunt.

"Shit, you feel so good like this," he breathes out.

It does feel a little different to Chuck, having his skin in direct contact with her own for the first time. It feels almost like it's even more of an intimate act. Like being able to feel all of him completely unhindered is how it should be. If only it weren't for her condition, that's how it could be from now on. She could take the birth control pills and they could have completely spontaneous sex without having to waste the time in getting ready with an omega condom. Not to mention that Negan wouldn't have to go through the hassle of picking them up from the pharmacy anymore.

"Chuck?" Negan's voice draws her out of her thoughts. "You with me?" he asks, having seen the look on her face as if she was miles away.

"Yeah," she answers.

"If you don't wanna do this, we can stop."

"No, no," she's quick to reply. "I was just thinking that this feels good," she fibs, not wanting too tell him the extent of what she really was thinking.

"Really?" he skeptically asks. "You looked completely lost inside your own fuckin' head." He bends forward a bit over her to caress your cheek. "If you're freaked out about raw dogging it, we can slip a condom on."

When he starts to move away, she grabs his arm to stop him. "No. I want to do this." To punctuate her point, she starts to move her hips up to meet his, causing him to sink back into her.

"Mmm." He moves back to sit on his knees so he can get a good look at her. "You're so fuckin' beautiful spread out for me."

As he starts to thrust inside her again, she lets out a little whimper and closes her eyes. "That feels so good."

He runs his hands up her hips to grasp her waist to give himself more leverage to go faster. "Shit. I love this pussy."

She giggles, but it quickly turns to a moan as he starts to hit the right spot. "Ah. You're so good to me."

"You bet your fuckin' ass I am." He moves to lay on top of her, never losing rhythm. "You getting close, baby?" he asks, though he can already feel that she is.

"Keep going," she gasps. "Don't stop."

He chuckles into her neck, right on the spot that holds his mark. "I wouldn't fuckin' dream of it."

With her orgasm quickly approaching, she grabs onto the hair at the back of his head as she meets his thrusts. "Oh, god!"

"That's it." He moves his mouth close to her ear and growls, "Cum for daddy."

That hurdles her over the edge, sending her into a powerful orgasm. Through the lustful haze, Chuck calls out, "Knot me, Alpha!" not fully aware of what she's saying.

That itself nearly sends Negan to his end right then and there, but his rational mind somehow wins out and he manages to pull out to spill onto her stomach.

Once they both come back down and catch their breaths, Chuck sees the mess Negan made on her. "Why didn't you knot me?"

"Because you told me you didn't want me to before we started fucking," he answers from his spot on the bed beside her.

"But I said you could."

"Yeah. When you were fuckin' cumming. I know shit gets intense between us and our bodies take over, overriding our fuckin' brains. I wouldn't ever want to do something to you and have you regret it when your goddamn senses come back."

She looks over to him with a lazy smile. "I love you, Negan," is all she can say in that moment as she thinks about how amazing he really is to her. He's done so much already, literally saved her life even. Him not going against what they had initially agreed on just shows how much he really cares about her. "I'm so lucky to have you."

He leans over and kisses her deeply. "I'm the fuckin' lucky one, baby girl," he whispers and leans back from her. "And I can't fuckin' wait to knot that pussy after our date tonight.

That makes her laugh. "My mate, the romantic."

"Damn right." He steps out of the bed and holds his hand out to her. "Let's jump in the shower then I'll make you some breakfast."

She allows him to pull her out of her comfy spot on the bed. "It's _your_ birthday. I should be cooking for you."

"You know I like cooking." He leads her into the bathroom and starts the shower, dialing it in to the right temperature. "Why don't I take you out on my bike after we eat. It's supposed to actually be fuckin' warm today." He lets her step in first to stand under the water. "And you haven't gotten to ride on it yet since I fuckin' finished it.

She turns around, not only to answer him face to face, but to wet her hair under the stream of hot water. "That sounds really nice," she replies, though she is a little nervous about the motorcycle. She's only ever ridden on one the one time with Negan. It _was_ really fun, but it's still a little nerve racking being perched on top of an engine with wheels and no other protection around you besides a helmet.

After their breakfast (which they both actually have a hand in making), they get ready for their ride. The weather is rather mild, perfect for Chuck's denim jacket over a light hoodie and jeans. Negan, of course, wears the black leather jacket he always does when he takes his bike out, but Chuck isn't complaining. He always looks really good in it, whether he zips it up fully or leaves it open. And there's also something about the red scarf he alway wraps around his neck that she really likes, though she'd never actually say that to him.

"Ready to go, baby?" he asks as he hands over her helmet to put on.

"Yup." Once she puts the helmet on, Negan makes sure it's buckled right and helps her onto the back of his motorcycle.

After putting on his own helmet, he hops on himself and starts the machine up. "Hold on tight."

She giggles and cuddles up to his back as she wraps her arms around him. "I'm ready to go when you are."

Negan kick starts the bike and pulls out of the garage, using his remote to close the door after them. As they travel the roads, Chuck watches the scenery change from the suburbs she's used to, to places unfamiliar. Negan had specifically told her that he wouldn't say where they were going, so she knows it's useless to even ask.

Less than an hour later, the land turns more rural and she notices a big sign off to the right saying "Great Falls Park". Negan continues on leisurely through the mountain roads until he gets to a small parking lot. Once the bike is stopped, he hops off and helps Chuck to do the same.

"This place is gorgeous," Chuck comments after they both remove their helmets and hang them on the handles of the bike.

Negan takes her hand and the pair starts to walk the trail. "Rick suggested it."

"He did?"

"I fuckin' asked him where a good place to ride a motorcycle is and he said," he puts on a southern accent, "'I don't ride motorcycles.'" He shakes his head with a little laugh. "But he said it was nice as fuck out this way."

"It was a nice ride getting here anyway."

"I might take Aaron out here once he gets his fuckin' bike done. You think he'd like that?"

She laughs. "You trying to get romantic with my uncle?" she jokes.

"I wouldn't have to try too fuckin' hard. You know he wants my dick so bad," he retorts without missing a beat.

"Just because he's gay, that doesn't mean he'll go for just any man," she says through her giggles.

He gestures to himself. "You don't think he'd hop on this if I offered?"

"No!" She slaps him on the arm. "You're not his type! And, oh yeah, you're _my_ boyfriend. I don't think he'd be a home wrecker."

Negan wraps his arm around her shoulders and pulls her in to kiss the top of her head. "I don't know. Still think I could hit it," he adds, joking further.

Chuck laughs and playfully smacks his chest. "There's this guy he's been talking to, anyway," she finally comments, moving past Negan's joke. "Friend of a friend kinda thing. I think he wants to start dating him, but he feels weird about it."

Negan nods in understanding. "Shit's weird for a while after you lose a spouse."

"He says this guy's nice." She chuckles a little. "And that everyone calls him Jesus because he... kinda looks like Jesus, I guess."

"Jesus, huh. That's fuckin' funny."

They continue to follow the signs saying "scenic overlook" for a ways. Once they get to their destination, they're met with an amazing view of the falls that the area is named for. The water from the Potomac River rushes through the rocky gorge creating a pleasing white noise that fills the area.

"Oh shit," Negan calls out as he leans on the railing to look at the feature. "Rick was right. This shit's beautiful."

Chuck can't help but giggle at him. "It really is. This reminds me of the first time you took me out on your bike."

He turns to shoot her a smile. "Oh yeah. I took you out to the fuckin' boonies."

"I was so nervous," she admits through a laugh.

He moves to stand behind her and wraps his arms around her waist. "About being on the bike?"

"A little bit. But I was more nervous about being with you."

He chuckles a little. "You were nervous about me?"

"Yeah." She places her hands on his arms around her. "I was nervous about being so close to you." The realization of how silly that sounds makes her giggle.

"Didja think I was gonna bite?" he jokes.

"More like, I thought you were gonna suddenly realize that you really didn't want anything to do with me and abandon me somewhere."

He scoffs. "Like that could ever fuckin' happen." He turns to kiss her cheek. "You now you got me wrapped around your fuckin' finger."

She laughs. "Well I know that _now_. I didn't back then."

He kisses her again, hoping that she truly knows how special she is to him. "So which ride was better, do you think?"

She thinks about it for a second. "This one," she answers as she hugs his arms around her a bit more, "because I get cuddles this time."

He laughs at her answer. What he was really asking was which bike she liked better, hoping she'd praise all the work he's done on his Harley. But her sweet answer has him squeezing her a little bit tighter and kissing her temple.

"Fuckin' adorable," he says almost to himself.

After a few moments of silence, she asks, "Could we keep this up? Like take a ride every Sunday or something?"

"That sounds fuckin' good to me. I'd love that."

She turns back to look at him. "I would, too."

Later on that night, Chuck and Negan get ready to go to dinner for Negan's birthday. She had made the reservation for them at a highly rated restaurant in D.C. right on the Potomac River, though she hasn't told Negan where they're going. They both dress up a little, Negan in dark slacks, white button up, and a blazer, Chuck in a black and white polka dot sundress with a cardigan.

As Chuck finishes putting her hair up as she stands in front of the mirror in their room, Negan walks in. "I'm almost done," she informs him.

He just watches her for a moment as her delicate fingers pin up her waves away from her face. "When do we gotta leave? If you'd tell me where we're going, I'd fuckin' know how long it'd take to get there."

She shoots him a look. "I told you-"

"I know, I know." He hold his hands up and walks closer to her. "It's a surprise."

With her hair finished, she turns to face him. "I think you'll really like it. But we should get going now if we wanna beat D.C. traffic."

"D.C., huh? Want me to drive?"

"No," she draws out as she moves to pat him on the chest. "You don't know where we're going."

"You could _tell_ me..."

She laughs. "You really hate not being in control, don't you?"

He just shrugs as she moves past him to leave the bedroom, since she's not exactly wrong. But he decides not to push it and allows her to drive him north into the city. After they park the car, Chuck leads Negan down a busy boardwalk along the river. With the sun setting, the whole area is bathed in reds and oranges. The last sunbeams of the day bounce across the water making everything look almost surreal.

"Here it is," Chuck finally points out as they come up to the restaurant. "It had a lot of good reviews. And they have surf and turf, so I thought-"

She doesn't even get to finish before Negan is calling out, "Shit, I love surf and turf!"

Giggling, she admits, "That's what I was gonna say. I thought you'd like that."

Once they get inside and speak to the hostess, they are led to their table on the patio overlooking the water. Overhead string lights above the tables add soft lighting as the sun is almost completely below the horizon. Chuck thinks to herself that the ambiance must be good, since almost every other table is taken. She's glad that she made the reservation in advance so they didn't have to wait.

As Negan pulls out the chair for Chuck, she momentarily makes eye contact with the older woman at the table next to them, but her attention is quickly brought back to sitting down in the chair as Negan is waiting for her.

After they get their drink order in (a couple glasses of a nice red wine), Negan gets the chance to look around at the scenery. "Shit, this is nice."

"It really is."

"Hope I can afford it," he jokes.

"I'm paying, so you don't have to worry about it."

"I'm not gonna make you pay for all this."

"Well, you're really hard to shop for, so this is your birthday present from me."

"You never have to buy me anything, sweetheart. I'm fuckin' pleased as punch just to have you with me."

No matter how long they've been together, when Negan says things like that, Chuck still blushes hard. Since she's still a little flustered when the waitress comes over, she just quickly doubles Negan's order of the surf and turf, though she does request the steak be well done rather than Negan's medium rare.

Negan shakes his head at her as the waitress walks away from the table to put the order in. "You should try it not burned to fuckin' death," he comments with a chuckle.

She gives him a little shrug. "It's not _burned_ , it's just cooked."

"You don't know what you're missing." He takes a gulp of his wine. "Am I driving home?"

"I can drive if you want another glass of wine. You know this'll be my only one."

"Sounds good to me." With another gulp, he practically empties his drink.

As they wait for their meal to arrive, the waitress comes back onto the patio carrying a very fancy looking dessert. She walks over to the older couple sitting at the table beside them and sets it down.

"Happy fortieth anniversary!" the young server calls out cheerfully.

"Oh, Harold!" the woman says to her husband. "Did you tell them to make my favorite?"

Negan and Chuck watch the scene as the long married beta couple enjoy their anniversary dessert, all the while looking lovingly at one another.

"That's so cute," Chuck leans in to whisper to Negan. "That's gonna be us one day."

"Shit, I'll be pushing ninety in forty years."

"How long have you two been married?" the woman from the other table asks them, bringing them both out of their conversation.

Chuck feels a little embarrassed that the couple must have heard her talking about them. "Oh, uh... We're not married, yet," she answers.

"I'm sorry," the woman replies. "I just assumed, since I saw your mark."

Negan jumps in to explain. He knows that people, especially old fashioned ones, can get judgey real quick when it comes to alphas and omegas. He's just hoping to cut the conversation short if these two betas are assholes. "The claim came first. The wedding's in a couple months."

The man speaks up for the first time. "Our son just got married a few weeks ago. He and his mate decided to have the traditional mating ceremony."

"It really was beautiful," his wife comments.

"Your son is an alpha?" Chuck asks, knowing that it's rare for beta parents to have anything but betas as children. She herself is one of the very rare exceptions.

"We adopted him when he was two," the woman explains. "Had no idea he would present alpha."

"Shit," Negan says with a little chuckle. "I bet that was quite the surprise. Dealing with a newly presented alpha is hard as it is. Throw in that you're not ready for it..." He lets out a low whistle.

"It was hard, but he's grown up to be an amazing man," the woman says, her voice full of pride. "Are you doing the traditional ceremony?"

"We're just doing something simple at home," Chuck answers. "We've been mated for months now, so... it's just going to be a family get together, really."

"That sounds nice," the woman comments as she spies the waitress coming out with Chuck and Negan's food. "Good luck. And enjoy your meal."

"Thank you," both Chuck and Negan reply.

The couple bids their farewells as Chuck and Negan accept their orders from the server.

"They were really nice," Chuck says as she starts to dig into her meal. There's so much food that she knows some of it's going to be coming home with them. But she's sure Negan won't mind the leftovers.

Negan, of course, cleans his plate fairly quickly without much other conversation. Chuck doesn't mind, though, because it's obvious he's enjoying it. And that is the whole reason she wanted to come here.

"That was fuckin' delicious," he finally voices his opinion after he wipes his mouth clean. "Thanks for finding this fuckin' place."

"You're welcome. The food is really good. I'm getting full, though."

Once Chuck finally decides to throw in the towel, the waitress comes back over with a doggy bag. "Anything else tonight?" she asks.

"Just the check," Negan answers.

The waitress gives him a smile. "That table beside you already took care of it."

"Are you fuckin' kidding me?" Negan responds in his usual way.

The young waitress is taken aback a bit by his language, but answers nonetheless. "They told me to tell you to it was a wedding present."

Chuck is flabbergasted. "Oh my god. That was so nice of them."

The waitress just smiles back, saying, "Have a good rest of your night," before leaving.

Negan scratches the back of his neck. "Shit. Now I really feel like an asshole for thinking that they'd be assholes."

"You thought they'd be assholes?"

"When they first started talking to us, I thought they'd be like those fuckin' bigot betas that think we should live like it's the 1800s. Do everything the traditional way and keep out of beta society."

"Do you get that a lot?" Chuck has had a few run ins with jerks since she's presented, but she wouldn't exactly call it a common occurrence.

He shrugs. "I guess not. Twenty years ago, I definitely did get shit all the time just for being an alpha. Got in my fair share of fistfights with betas with an alpha complex, thinking they could take me on. But I guess shit's changed now. At least for the most part."

"That's a good thing. I'm kinda glad I'm getting to live in a better time for omegas."

"You and me both." His face turns from his serious expression to a smirk. "I guess you dodged spending your money," Negan jokes.

"That means I _technically_ didn't get you a birthday present," she comments while scrunching up her face in an apologetic way.

"I think I know how you can fuckin' make it up to me. With some fucking." Negan wiggles his eyebrows. "If you get what I'm sayin'."

Chuck laughs. "You're so great at subtlety."

Over the next few weeks, Negan and Chuck try to get ready for their wedding. Negan, of course, excuses himself from most of the planning, even if he tries to make a case that that's not really what he's doing.

"If we're gonna be entertaining, our backyard needs some fuckin' work," he explains to Chuck one day. "I'm thinking... I could lay some bricks down and make a nice fuckin' patio. Put a fire pit in." He thinks a moment before his face lights up in excitement. "Oh fuck! I can put in a kickass grilling area. Then we can have bbqs and shit!"

"For the wedding," Chuck comments dryly, bringing his focus back on what it should be on.

"Of course!" he says immediately. "The weather should be fuckin' nice for the wedding. We can have a cookout for the guests instead of fuckin' paying a caterer or whatever. We're not gonna have that many people over anyway. I can grill burgers and shit easy."

Chuck giggles at his reasoning. "We can do that. Though I have the sneaking suspicion that you just want to use our wedding budget so you can get a new grill."

He just shrugs, not trying to fight her. "But it _would_ be for the fuckin' wedding. Technically."

She laughs. "Okay. You can have your patio."

"Fuck yes!"

As Negan spends his time doing that, Diane takes the reins on figuring out how they are going to decorate the back yard. Since they're on a budget, she decides to make most of the decorations themselves. Crepe paper flowers, diy chair covers for the cheap folding chairs they have, goodwill candle holders, nothing too fancy. But Chuck thinks it's all perfect. She doesn't want her wedding to be about the ceremony; it's about her and Negan along with their extended family.

One thing they don't really have to worry about is who they're going to get to officiate. Since it's not really a religious ceremony, they don't need to worry about getting a pastor or priest to marry them. And since they're already mated in the eyes of the law, they don't need any paperwork or anything. Their wedding is more like a celebration of their coming together, so Aaron says he will be the one to say a few words and lead the wedding.

Once it comes time to pick out the wedding dress, Diane takes Chuck to a small, secondhand dress shop in D.C. Chuck already knows that she wants something simple, not to mention, something that she won't have to make payments on for several years.

"What about this one?" Diane says as she holds up a floor length monstrosity straight from the eighties, big puffy sleeves and all.

"Oh my god, Mom. That's horrible."

Diane laughs. "It's not that bad."

Chuck takes the garment from her and puts it back on the rack to punctuate her point. "It's the worst."

"Well, what are you looking for, then?" Diane asks as she continues to peruse the dresses.

"I don't know. Maybe something with lace. I don't really want that shiny material. It doesn't even need to be like a _wedding_ wedding dress. You know? Any white-ish dress could work."

"Why don't we just pick a bunch out and you can try them on. Maybe if you see them on you, we'll find the one you want."

With that suggestion, Chuck starts picking out any dress that even remotely catches her eye. Diane does, too. With their mountain of dresses, Chuck heads off to the dressing room to see if any of them stand out. Ten dresses in, Chuck still hasn't found it.

"I liked that second one," Diane comments once she sees the frustration on her daughter's face.

"I don't know," Chuck says, dejected. "It was alright." She happens to look off to her right to see one of the shop workers putting a dress back on a rack. She's not sure why, but she can't take her eyes off of the garment.

Diane follows her gaze and takes notice of the dress, too. "Want me to get that one?"

"Yeah. Might as well try it."

Diane heads over to the rack and picks up the knee length dress. It's white, though it's covered with a light champagne lace that starts at the collar bones and makes up the 3/4 length sleeves as well as covering the skirt, which is built up with tulle. The dress underneath the lace has a very feminine sweetheart neckline and is cinched at the waist.

Once Chuck slips it on and takes a peek in the mirror, she instantly knows it's the one. It may not be the traditional type of dress, but it's perfect. She steps out of the dressing room with a big smile on her face to look to her mother. "Do you like this one?" she asks.

The older woman can't help but tear up at the sight of her daughter. "You look so beautiful, sweetie. It's perfect. I love it."

"Really?" Chuck looks down as she smooths the skirt. "I think it's the one."

"I think it's the one, too. Negan is going to love it."

Luckily for Chuck, the dress is only about $200, but it's still beautiful despite the price. It does need some alterations (that, luckily, can be done in the shop), which will add a little bit to the price tag, but Chuck is still very happy with it. As Chuck is in the back with the seamstress taking measurements, Diane sneakily goes to the counter and requests to pay for the dress. Even though Chuck was adamant about not having Diane pay for anything, her mother still wants to provide something for her only daughter. Once Chuck emerges from the back and tries to pay a little while later, she's, of course, surprised that Diane had taken care of it. She decides not to fight her mother on it, though, since she looks so happy about it.

With the dress crossed off the list, the wedding planning is just about finished. And Negan's hard work in the backyard has certainly paid off. With the help of Simon, Rick, and Carl on the weekends, Negan's turned their rather plain backyard into the perfect place to entertain. His brand new grill sits on their covered porch with enough space to do his thing when he feels the need to cookout. The steps lead down to the patio/fire pit complete with seating enough for any fireside chats or storytelling they might want to do. There is, of course, an open area in the middle that will be where the actual wedding will take place, but Negan has still worked on it, making sure the ground is nice and even and the grass is lush and thick. Once Chuck sees the finished product, she's filled with pride for Negan with how he's transformed the area so beautifully.

It's a few weeks before the wedding, but Negan knows Chuck's heat will start pretty soon. That, paired with their upcoming honeymoon means that he needs to make sure he's stocked up on protection. They're not completely out yet, but he knows they're going to be going through a lot of them pretty soon, especially with the fuckfest he's planning once they're in Hawaii. And that means Negan has to head down to the pharmacy.

As soon as Negan walks in, he sees the asshole pharmacist that refuses to fill his prescription for omega condoms on "religious grounds". Which everyone knows is bullshit, but it's, somehow, not illegal, even though it's blatant discrimination. Instead of walking out right then and there, Negan waits in line on the off chance that the other pharmacist had refilled his prescription before the asshole one got there. Once he gets to the front of the line, the usual young woman cashier is at the counter.

"Should I even bother asking?" he says to her. He doesn't hold any ill will towards the girl. She doesn't have anything to do with the actual prescriptions. And it's obvious that she feels bad about the hoops Negan has to jump through.

The cashier gives him a less than hopeful smile. "I can check."

Negan waits patiently, knowing that the girl will most likely come back empty handed and he'll have to come back tomorrow. Which is an annoying nuisance. But when she comes back with the bag in her hand, he's pleasantly surprised.

"Here we go," she says cheerfully, handing it to Negan.

"Was the other guy here today?" he asks as he gets his wallet out to pay.

"No. It's been him," she nods to the asshole pharmacist in the back, "all day." She accepts Negan's money and puts it in the register. "Maybe he's changed his mind about... you know." She points to the bag now in Negan's hands.

"I guess." He turns to walk away, not much caring for the reason that douche bag decided to finally get with the times. "Have a good day, darling," he throws over his shoulder to the cashier. He's just glad he doesn't have to do this all over again tomorrow. Not to mention the fact that his mind is already thinking about just what bedroom activities he's going to get up to with Chuck.


End file.
